


Family portrait

by Fleppy85



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fleppy85/pseuds/Fleppy85
Summary: With Grissom being on his excursions Sara is lonely. Can she do anything to make him come back to Vegas? And can she together with Sofia catch a serial killer?
Relationships: Gil Grissom/Sara Sidle
Kudos: 1





	Family portrait

Part 1

There were always cases that got into you more than others did. Everybody had their weakness about certain kinds of cases, nobody could work every kind of case the same way, with the same feelings, or even better with no feelings at all. Every crime scene investigator, every police officer was a human being, had feelings, had thoughts and sometimes these feelings and thoughts were taken home, no matter what you tried. You couldn’t put your memories in the locker like you did with your work clothes.   
Sara’s weakness were cases with abuse, no matter if domestic or sexual. Grissom had most times make sure she didn’t end up at scenes like these or he was around to make sure, she could cope. But Grissom was long gone, wasn’t her supervisor anymore and Cath didn’t know about Sara, her past and her demons. Which was maybe a reason why Sara stood a few yards aside of the body of a young woman, who had been obviously beaten to death. The fact that she was naked made it very likely that she had been raped too.   
“Sara, you might want to see this.” David called out to her.   
No, when she was honest, she didn’t want to see whatever he found. She didn’t want to have another look, another close look, at the woman – or what was left of her. She didn’t want to see all the wounds, the abrasions, the blood. Nevertheless her legs carried her back to the body, she got down next to the medical examiner. Expect positive things and they’ll happen to you, somebody told her once. What could be positive about this scene? Even if David found the I.D. of whoever did this to the poor woman, she was dead and nothing could bring her back. Sometimes there were no positive things.   
“It’s a pin.” So far for something positive. A pin of a butterfly that was pinned through the left nipple of the woman. “How sick do you have to be to do something to somebody?” She tried not to focus on the woman, only on the pin. A little butterfly, two inches wide, with red, yellow and green colors, little wings.   
“We had something like this last week.”  
“Did we?” She couldn’t remember that anybody of her colleagues mentioned something like this.   
“Days had the case.”  
“Same M.O.?”  
“Yes. And also a pin through the nipple.”  
Both didn’t have to say the obvious words, both knew, if the M.O. was the same and a signature was left behind, there was a very high possibility that they were dealing with a serial killer. And serial killers didn’t stop after the second victim – not if you didn’t catch them and make them stop. 

Sara requested the report of her colleagues after she was back in the lab. She knew they would claim the case, would want to work it. She should be glad about it, she didn’t want to be involved in a serial killer case. They had way too many of these cases and not all were closed. And just because you closed a case it didn’t mean, it was out of your head and you could move on like nothing had ever happened.   
“I met Ecklie in the morgue.” Greg came the break room, where Sara sat with the reports. Her friend and colleague worked the case with her. It wasn’t easy for him neither. Sara had noticed he had lost some of his purity the last years and it made her sad. “He wants to see you later.”  
“He wants the case?”  
“Days started them, I guess so.” He sat next to her. “Sometimes I wonder what is going on in people’s mind, don’t you too?”  
“Most times I hope that I wonder, but I’m afraid when I’m honest, people don’t surprise me anymore. Which is sad, I don’t want to be used to all the brutal things people do to each other. I don’t want to become numb – even if it might be better in our job.”  
“I think if we’re numb, we can’t do this job anymore. You have to care to work as good as you can and when you’re numb, you don’t care and you won’t help the victims anymore.” He disagreed.   
“How do you handle cases like these? What do you do, Greg?”  
“I talk to my colleagues, who are my friends, go home, try to forget. Which doesn’t work most times. Then I think of talking to the department therapist and put that aside because I don’t like him.”  
“Did you ever think of changing back to the lab? You don’t see the scene, you’re not that involved when you get nothing more than a few samples.”  
“That’s true, but you can’t help as much as you want when you’re in the lab. The work here is very important, but you need people to bring the evidence to you, people, who do a very good job so they don’t miss anything. I made the decision to have a more responsible job and I don’t regret that.”  
“Good.” She smiled and put her hand on his.   
“How about you? How will you cope?”  
“I’ll call my husband, hit the gym and invite my favorite colleague over for dinner.”  
“What will you cook for Hodges?”   
“A lab rat with crazy hair.” She hugged him briefly. Maybe they should console each other. There wasn’t anybody in lab, she liked to talk to more than to Greg. Nobody she trusted more than him.   
“You’ll make Ratatouille?”   
“If you want, yes. Would six suit you?”  
“Perfect. Shall I bring the dessert?”  
“Deal.” It was almost time for them to go, the end of the shift was near and if they had to give away their case, there was no reason to stay longer. There was her bright side, her positive thing. She could go home on time.   
“I’m sorry to disturb the party.”  
“Deputy Chief Curtis.” Sara cocked a brow. “You’re in early. Don’t you work days now that you’re promoted?” Like the all the years since she wasn’t a detective anymore. You climb up the food chain, you can choose when you want to work.   
“I do – usually. Special situations change shifts, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, Sara.”  
“Barely.”  
“What can we do for you, Sofia?”, Greg asked. “It’s good to see you in the lab again. I thought you forgot us.”  
“I didn’t. I’m here because of the case you caught this night.”  
“Apparently it’s a serial killer and Days caught the first case of it last week. We already prepared everything to handle them the case over. No need to send the Deputy Chief, we didn’t want to fight with them over the case. All we asked for were the reports so we could finish our report.”  
“I’m glad you don’t fight with superiors anymore. I hope Days will do the same.”  
“Why should they?”  
“Because I will take the case away.”  
“You want to give the case away? To whom? The Feds?” Did Sofia call the FBI to take over? Like she wanted them to work the Haskell case.   
“I want you guys to work it.”  
“Why?” There was no reason why she and Greg should work the case. Especially not after they found out, these cases weren’t good for them. And they had their dinner appointment.   
“Because they had two newbies on the case and I prefer to have experienced people working a serial killer case. Two level three CSIs are better than a level one and a level two. I worked with both teams and I think, the case is in best hands here.”  
“Wow, thanks.” Greg said.   
“Sara?”  
“You’re the boss.” And that was the end of her fantasy to go home and the start for a new case with a serial killer. She had the feeling they all ended up right in her lap. Like she asked for them.   
“You don’t want to case?”  
“Nothing that I enjoy, but something I think should be stopped as soon as possible.”  
“Good.” Sofia checked her watch.   
“Want us to start right away?” There was their dinner gone, Greg knew that too. Instead of sleep, they’d work a double, catch only a short period of sleep and go back to the lab, get out and talk to witnesses and won’t be popular with the people from dayshift.  
“Yes, I’m just waiting for…here she is.” Sofia opened the door for a tall brunette in a black suit. To Sara she looked like FBI, didn’t Sofia say she didn’t want the Feds to be involved? So why was this woman here?   
“Deputy Chief Curtis?”  
“That’s me, welcome doctor Weinberg, thanks for coming in so fast and early.”  
“No problem.”  
A doctor? Why did Sofia call a doctor? And why was she waiting for her?   
“Doctor Weinberg, these are CSI Sara Sidle and Greg Sanders, the primaries on the case. Sara, Greg, that’s doctor Weinberg. She’s a profiler and will work the case with you.”  
“Why?” Why were they supposed to work with a profiler? A profiler worked with the police and not with the crime scene lab. There was no need for that. They could handle their evidence alone.   
“Because I think you have a different view on the evidence when you understand more about the killer.”  
“We never worked with a profiler.”  
“So it’s about time we’ll try it. Or do you have any problems with that, Sara?”   
Sara didn’t need a profiler to understand Sofia didn’t want to hear anything about a problem working with the profiler. She made her statement, she made it as the Deputy Chief and it was Sara’s job to obey. No matter if she liked that or not.   
“No, no problem, Deputy Chief. Whatever it takes to catch a killer.”  
“I’ll have both eyes on these cases, the Sheriff will get the Feds in the boat, the last serial killer wasn’t good for his image and he plans to be in charge again, so he wants people to vote for him.”  
“Politics or police work, what a hard decision.”  
“Don’t be cynical.”  
“Sorry boss.”   
Sofia rolled her eyes. Before she could say another word her cell phone rang. She checked the I.D. and left the room.   
“Looks like politics are calling.”  
“And we can start to work.” Greg got up. “Doctor Weinberg, how can we help you so that you can help us?”  
“I need to see the reports and photos, after that I’d like to talk to you and the investigators, who worked the first case if that’s possible.”  
“You’ve got the Deputy Chief by your side, everything is possible. Excuse me.” Sara got up and left the room.   
“Sara is…it’s not like she doesn’t like you.” Greg tried to defense his friend’s action.   
“I don’t hope so, she doesn’t know me to hate me.”  
“She just doesn’t like it when people make decisions, that involve her and don’t tell her before they do.”  
“While you don’t mind?”  
“I prefer to be asked first too, but if the order comes from the boss and there are no good reason not to do what I’m asked to do, I do it. Means in this case I’ve no idea what we as CSIs can do with a profiler, but I’m willing to learn how you can help us to see more in the evidence, to see evidence, we maybe didn’t see and understand the killer, so there won’t be more victims, doctor Weinberg.”  
“It’s Jules, if that’s okay.” She smiled.   
“That’s okay, it’s Greg here.” He shook her hand. “I’ll get you the reports and show you a computer, so you can see the photos.”  
“Do you also know where I get a coffee?”  
“You asked the right man this question.” He grinned. If anybody had any idea about coffee in the lab, it was him. At least when you wanted coffee, that didn’t poison you. 

“We’re not very popular with the guys from Days.” Greg put a folder onto Sara’s desk. “The last folder of the case.”  
“I didn’t know we’re trying to win a prize for being popular.”  
“I could win one, I’m a popular guy. Was. Until I took the case over. Not that that matters. Are you still mad at Sofia? Jules?”  
“Who is Jules?”  
“Doctor Weinberg.”  
“You became already friends?”  
“I try to make it as easy as possible for her and myself. Why don’t you try the same? You’re not the grumpy Sara anymore, you’re a happily married woman.” He sent her an open smile and blinked at her, what gave her no other choice than smiling back.   
“I don’t like it when people tell me what to do and involve other people in my case. People, who have no reason to be there.”  
“Maybe she can be a help.”  
“Profiler are a help – to cops. Not to scientists. We have the evidence, it helps us. We don’t have to understand killer, we need to understand evidence. And the evidence is always clear and straight forward.”  
“It might be easier when we understand the people better, who leave the evidence behind. We might find more evidence this way.”  
“I won’t argue with you.”  
“Good, I don’t want to argue with you, I like you too much.”  
“Want to go back to the scene with me?” She grinned.   
“Absolutely.”   
They left the lab and drove up The Strip to the north. It was almost noon, the sun was up high and Sara hoped that her second boost would carry her home in a few hours. If she made it home before four, it was good.   
The crime scene was secured at the end of an one way alley, two officers made sure, nobody entered it, changed something. Nobody? When they arrived, they found somebody at their scene.   
“What are you doing here?”  
“I try to get a feeling for the scene, the victim, the killer.” Doctor Weinberg didn’t bother to turn and look at Sara. The profiler stood in the middle of the scene and seemed to do nothing than standing there.   
“You are walking around an active crime scene.”  
“I didn’t touch anything.”   
Sara wanted to complain, that the profiler walked around, destroyed traces with her shoes, but doctor Weinberg wore protection bags around her shoes, she didn’t carry anything to the scene.   
“Why don’t we all three try to do our job?” Greg said carefully. There was no point in a fight. The only one who won when they fought was the killer and it was their goal to make this man lose.   
“This is crazy.” Sara took her kit and her camera and started to look for new evidence. Now with the sun, she had a different look at the scene. Yard by yard she and Greg worked down their way to the end of the alley, where the body was found. More photos, more trace evidence and a check of the surrounding area.   
“There is only this one way in, the walls are too high.” Sara took one last picture of the wall. Some blood splatter, that probably had nothing to do with their crime, were around two yards above the ground. Another crime, that never made it to their lab, probably never got reported. She didn’t want to know how much crime in Las Vegas wasn’t reported.   
“He took her here, raped her, killed her, left her. Anybody, who had came across the alley, could have seen him.” The alley was at least thirty yards long, it took some time to walk in here and out. And when you passed by, you had a chance to see what was going on in here. Even when the street light hadn’t been bright. Plus most times you couldn’t kill and rape somebody without some noise.   
“We’re not in an area where people mind each others business.”  
“No. But even if they didn’t do anything, they might have seen something.”   
“And won’t come forward because they are afraid, we could find out about the things, they did and weren’t supposed to do. Which doesn’t mean, we shouldn’t try to find a witness.”  
“As far as I know the police talked to some people, who were around, but nobody saw anything.” Greg sighed. It was like Sara said if they saw anything they don’t come forward to talk to them. Nobody here wanted to talk to the police. It was a little wonder that the body was called in so fast. At least somebody had some decent left. 

Sofia closed her eyes. She hoped, she did the right thing. It was her wish that the cases of the serial rapist/killer was taken away from dayshift and handed over to nightshift. She had enjoyed working the dayshift, she had been acting supervisor, but she felt better with the knowledge that the case was in Sara’s and Greg’s hands. They were more experienced. A knock on her office door made her face the world again. No more time for worries and second guesses.   
“Come in.” She tried to activate the rest of her energy.   
“Is it a bad time?”  
“No, it’s alright.” She watched doctor Weinberg taking a seat opposite of her desk. The profiler looked tired too. The Sheriff requested her right after he heard, they were dealing with a killer of at least two women, who was likely to be a serial killer. As far as Sofia knew, the profiler worked from nine to five, today it was five in the morning when she got the call to come in. Now it was seven in the evening, doctor Weinberg had been working since fourteen hours.   
“Long day.”  
“Yes. I’m sorry you had to start like this.”  
“Not your fault, Deputy Chief Curtis.”  
“It’s Sofia.” She closed her eyes again. She felt mental and physically exhausted. And it was like the exhaustion got worse when she heard her title. Hadn’t the life been easier when she was a detective? Sometimes she wondered if her ambition was good for her health.   
“Did you visit the crime scene?”  
“Yes.”  
“Was it a help?”  
“I can’t give you a name, an address or description of the suspect.”  
“I didn’t expect that.” She opened her eyes again. A profiler wasn’t a miracle worker, she was aware of that.   
“Good. I got some impressions, I need to work with them and will give you my first report tomorrow morning.”  
“You’re not done for today, Doctor?”  
“Jules. I’ll go home and work on my report in my office. Your coffee isn’t the best and the vending machines don’t offer what I want as a dinner to keep myself going.”  
“Sounds like a good idea. You can give it to me around noon, gives you at least a little time to sleep.”  
“You should go home too.”  
“I know.”  
“Since when are you awake?”  
“Four.” When they made the connection between the two dead women and Ecklie called her to tell her about the cases. Since the Haskell case, there was the order to call your superior when it was likely another serial killer was in town.   
“And on duty?”  
“Quarter past four. Don’t ask for breaks.”  
“What do you think of extending your work time for another half and hour? For some food and the first impressions of my work day. This way you can tell the Sheriff something if he asks you in the morning.”  
“You must have a really bad home.” Sofia laughed exhausted.   
“I’ve a really nice and good home, but there’s a person walking around, who likes to rape, torture and kill women. If I can help to put him behind bars by getting home a little bit later, I’m more than willing to give this little sacrifice.”  
“What do you want to eat?”  
“I could settle for a good steak.”  
“I can’t promise that I’m a good listener anymore, but I know where to get a damn good steak.”  
“Sounds good to me. Shall we go? To be honest, I’m starving.”  
“Yeah, I think it’s time for some late lunch…dinner…” Sofia got up. Was she supposed to go home? She didn’t know. Should she stay here a little bit longer? There were some traces in the lab, some results, she wanted to know of. On the other hand, all these things would be still there tomorrow morning, she needed to stop here. When she was so tired, that she almost fell asleep on her desk, she wasn’t a help.   
“Do you have a GPS?” She asked Jules.  
“Yes.”  
“3494 Westwing Avenue. It’s a five minute drive from here.”  
“Alright. I’ll use the GPS in case I lose you.”   
“I try not to violate any traffic rules.” Sofia smiled a bit. Was it a good idea to have a work dinner now? She could use some sleep and not another talk. On the other hand, if the Sheriff asks her tomorrow, what the profiler had found out so far, she could give him some answers. She had the feeling, she had a lot of questions to answer.   
“Is this your favorite restaurant?” Jules asked Sofia after they got seated on a table for two next to a window.   
“Yes. The steak is huge and good and you don’t have to wait for ages for your food. I hate places where you sit for an hour before you get your food. I don’t go out for dinner at six to get my steak at seven or later. If I want late dinner, I go out late.”  
“You don’t like to wait, when you get kept hanging on.”  
“Are you giving me a profile on me or the killer?”  
“What do you prefer?”  
“The killer. I know myself well enough.”  
“That’s good. Most people think they know themselves, but in reality, they’ve no clue about what they want, who they are.”  
“You know who you are, what you want?” Sofia turned tables.  
“Most times. I do surprise myself sometimes.”  
“You know what other people will do, what they think, want, how they behave, how can you surprise yourself?”  
“I don’t try to analyze myself. Do you interrogate yourself?”  
“No.” Sofia laughed. “That wouldn’t work out, a stubborn suspect and a stubborn Deputy Chief – beside the fact, that a Deputy Chief doesn’t interrogate people. I’ve my people to do that.”  
“Nevertheless you miss being in the middle of trouble.”  
“You are supposed to work on a profile of the serial killer not of the Deputy Chief.”  
“The killer is my job, the Deputy Chief is my past time fun.”  
“Why is that?”  
“I like to know the people I work with. You made it very fast from detective to Deputy Chief, very impressing. Your mother made Captain, you outrank her.”  
“Why don’t you tell me something about the killer, I like to hear things I don’t know.”  
“And you’re uncomfortable with the knowledge that I know a few things about you. Very well, Deputy Chief, your serial killer.”  
“Our, Doctor, our. It’s your case too.”  
“Highly intelligent. He manages to get his victims in a dead road, there are no signs of struggle, so he gets them to follow him there or he carries them there, which is very unlikely. I don’t think he knows the victims before the night he kills them, which means, he must be trustworthy. Most women don’t follow a stranger in a dead road on their first date and so far there are no signs that the victims were prostitutes and wanted to turn a trick. You’re looking for somebody, who is dressed well, knows how to talk, has a nice smile and is persuasive without being pushy. He can make the women follow him without that anybody notices, they don’t know each other. I bet if you ask people, who were at the same place, like the victims, they tell you, she was there with her charming boyfriend.   
He works, has a job, that pays him enough money to invite women, to dress in expensive or expensive looking suits. Don’t look for a sociopath, he’s a member of his community, somebody people enjoy to talk to, enjoy to spend time with, the interesting guy from next door. He won’t walk with them from a club to the place he kills them, he’ll have a car, nothing fancy, nothing that will get the attention of the police, but will look nice enough to fit to his appearance.   
He needs power. It’s his decision when they leave, where they’ll go to. He is in charge, he has the power. And he makes her feel that she’s nothing, that he makes the decision if she lives and if she dies. And how. Rape isn’t about sex, it’s about power. Humiliation. He uses her for his ego, when he’s done, she’s useless and he kills her to make his last statement, make it clear, that she was only somebody when he made her to somebody.”  
“Does he have power in his job?”  
“He isn’t at the end of the food chain, but also not on top. He wants to be on top, he thinks, he deserves to be in charge. Probably he has applied a few times for a better job, a higher position and got rejected. That was bad for his ego, so he needs something else to show the world how much power he has. Maybe these killings have something to do with rejections in his job.”  
“What about the butterfly? The way he left it.”  
“In the antique, the butterfly was a symbol of renascence and immortality while in some Asian areas they mean bad luck, it brings the death. In ancient Greece the butterfly was a symbol of the soul. He pins them through the left nipple, next to the heart. Heart and soul are together. He brings the butterfly with them, he brings death, leaves it with the heart, so that heart and soul are together for a renascence. I don’t have enough information to tell you, if he does it because he thinks, he can make them alive again or if thinks, by killing them, he gave them immortality. Not on this planet, maybe another place.”  
“A religious nutcase?”  
“What do you call crazy, Sofia?”  
“Killing two women and pinning a butterfly pin through their nipples.”  
“Crazy or vicious?”  
“Both. But with the religious stuff very crazy.”  
“It’s not said that he acts because of what the butterfly stands for in some countries or in history. Maybe he collects butterflies or the person, he wants to see how powerful he is, has a connection to them. They are important for him, how exactly is something I can’t tell you.”  
“And he will kill again.”  
“Yes.”  
“When? Will he keep his one week rhythm?”  
“Maybe. I’m sorry, I can’t give you more, I already speculate.”  
“You give me ideas.” Sofia made a break because the waiter brought them their steaks. T-bone with a lot of French fries and only a little bit of salad.   
“How long have you been with the LVPD?”  
“A few months. So far I’m only a part time profiler, I’ve my office, have sessions with patients help the police when they need a profiler.”  
“You’re busy.”  
“Who isn’t? I don’t think you do nothing else than sitting at your desk the whole day.”  
“No, not only.”  
“Especially not with this case. You get some pressure from the Sheriff, you didn’t make yourself friends when you gave the case in different hands.”  
“As you will know because you read my work file, I worked dayshift, I was the acting supervisor. I also worked the nightshift as a CSI. I barely know one of the two CSIs from dayshift, don’t know the other one, but both are not very experienced. On the other hand, I know Sara and Greg, I know they will do everything to get the killer. And they’re experienced. Sara is a CSI for over ten years, Greg is a CSI for over seven years, he worked in the lab before.”  
“And your personal relationship with them?”  
“I don’t see what my personal relationship has to do with the way they work.”  
“The personal relationship between boss and employee is very important. You’re willing to work better for somebody, you like. You obey orders of people you trust, do a little bit more for them then for a boss, you can’t stand.”  
“I never had any problems with Greg, it was always fun to work with him.”  
“And Sara?”  
“You’re the shrink, you tell me.”  
Jules smiled a bit. “No need to get snappy, Sofia.”  
“Sorry.” Sofia closed her eyes. “There were some difficulties between Sara and me, we had a rough start. We worked that out, there are no hard feelings.”  
“Would you consider either one of them or both as a friend?”  
“It’s work and not a party.”  
“No matter if work or party, both works out better with friends.”  
“You want me to invite them to my place, make some dinner for them?”  
“I didn’t say that. You think they trust you?”  
“Jules, I don’t have time to poke around their heads to find out, what they want, what they think or feel. We work together, we’re adults, if they have problems with me, I’m sure they’ll tell me.”  
“Alright, I understand, you want me to leave this topic alone.”  
“Yes.” Apparently she had been clear and she was happy about that. This wasn’t something she wanted to discuss. She had bigger problems than her relationship to Sara and Greg. As long as they worked together, solved the case, everything was alright. 

“Where are you?”  
“Caracas.”  
“Still?” Sara sighed. Grissom was supposed to arrive today in Los Angeles and fly back to Las Vegas early tomorrow morning. That he called her from Caracas couldn’t mean anything good.   
“Yes. The forgot to put our luggage on the plane to here. Unfortunately here’s a thunderstorm and heavy rain, they won’t send another plane to Caracas before tomorrow night. More likely the day after tomorrow.”  
“You must be kidding me.”  
“I’m afraid I’m not. Sorry Sara.”  
“Not your fault.”  
“You sound tired.”  
“We worked a double.”  
“Are you short handed again?”  
“No, we have a serial killer again. It should be the case of Days, but our new Deputy Chief gave Greg and me the case.”  
“He knows who are his best people.”  
“She.”  
“She?”  
“Sofia. From detective to Deputy Chief within five years, impressing, isn’t it?”  
“You don’t sound like you’re impressed.”  
“Maybe because it sounds to good to be true for me.”  
“Are you still fighting with her?”  
“She sent a profiler to our team, who walks around the crime scene.” She would ignore that he asked, if they were fighting again. They didn’t fight in the past, they just didn’t share the same opinion the whole time. It wasn’t Sara’s mistake that Sofia was so often wrong. “What happened to the days, when we concentrated on the evidence, let the evidence talk? You should come back to the lab, it’s not the same without you. They all miss you. I miss you.”  
“I miss you too and you know, we couldn’t work together even if I come back. That’s not possible.”  
“I know. Life sucks big time. Sometimes.”  
“Like today.”  
“Today especially.”  
“As soon as I know when we leave here, I’ll give you a call and have a look, if I can get a connecting flight to Vegas. Two more day, maybe three. Can you handle that?”  
“Do I have a choice?”  
“I’m afraid not.”  
“Will we talk tomorrow?”  
“Of course. We can talk on the internet, with the camera.”  
“Sounds better than the telephone.”  
“I miss and love you, Sara.”  
“Ditto.”  
“When I’m back I’ll stay a little bit longer.”  
“Define a little bit longer?” Usually he stayed not longer than a week.   
“Two weeks.”  
“Wow, that’s like a holiday. Maybe I can get a few days off and we can go on a little trip.”  
“That would be great.”  
“If you help us out with the killer, I can leave earlier.”  
“Sara, you’re a smart woman, you don’t need my help. I’m sure when I’m back in Vegas, you and Greg have solved the case. Does Ecklie breathe down your neck?”  
“More Sofia. It looks like she wants to do more with this case than watch it from her desk.”  
“She was a good CSI, maybe she can help you out, make herself useful.”  
“Yeah, she can leave us alone, do the politics and let us work our way.”  
“I love your charm just as much as I love you.”  
“Thanks.” She smiled. There was nothing better than hearing Grissom’s voice after a long day. Okay, having him here was better, but when that wasn’t possible, she loved to hear his voice. And the thought of having him here for two weeks made her day. There was really light at the end of the tunnel. 

Part 2

“Such a smug son of a bitch!” Greg couldn’t believe it. He checked his results again before he got up to look for Sara, who he found a few doors down in traces.   
“You’ll never believe what I’ve found.” Greg said.  
“Try me.”  
“I found DNA on the victim, this son of a bitch left his semen behind.”  
“Did you run his DNA?”  
“Of course, no hit. I bet he did that to tease us.”  
“If he did he might be cocky but also stupid. Now we’ve got something on him.”  
“Something, we can’t use right now.”  
“They all make mistakes, Greg. Sooner or later we’ll get his DNA with his name and then we can connect him to the case.”   
“Hopefully. What have you got?”  
“I worked on some traces but so far none of them was useful. It looks like the road is a busy place, I found traces of at least a dozen people, of a variety of drugs and sexual activity. Nothing matches with our case or the last victim.”  
“I’ll have a look at the last crime scene later, we need some more information.”  
“How about a profile?” Sofia leant on the door frame. She had been listening to the conversation of Greg and Sara.   
“Any clues in it?”  
“A few information of the behavior of the killer, might help to narrow suspects down when we have some.” She put the written report on the desk. “I sent a copy of the profile to both of your email accounts.”   
“Thanks. He left his semen behind.” Greg said.   
“Fits the profile. According to Jules, he kills because he needs to show off. It’s an ego thing. She says, it’s likely he tried to climb up the food chain, failed and needs this kills to prove his power.”  
“We’re looking for an ambitioned killer.” Sara leant back.   
“Yes. And smart. He left his semen behind because he knew, we can’t do anything with it. Most work places don’t request a DNA sample, only a fingerprint. He used the rubber on his hands, not further down.”  
“If he gets a victim with a sexual disease, his cockiness will play against him.”  
“He used a condom in the first case.” Greg answered back. “There was no semen left. Maybe he tries to confuse us.”  
“No, he leaves the butterfly, that isn’t a coincidence. He’s playing with us. He gives us a little piece of himself but not enough to solve the puzzle. He knows what he’s doing. I bet he has a good knowledge about crime scene investigation, police work, medicine. He knows what brings us to him and what makes us only mad.”  
“You give him a lot of credit, Miss Sidle.” Jules entered the room.   
“I don’t underestimate people, especially not killer. You do that, you won’t get them.”  
“Good attitude. Sofia, I’ll be in my office, if there’s anything new, you know how to reach me.”  
“Alright, thanks for the report.”  
“You’re welcome.”  
Sofia watched Jules leaving the lab. There was no reason for the profiler to stick around the whole time, plus she had an office with patients waiting for her.   
“What do you want us to do now, Deputy Chief?”  
“Stop using my title, Sara.”  
“You don’t like it? You worked for it.”  
“Greg, could you leave Sara and me for a moment alone?”  
“Only when you promise you won’t fight.”  
“Greg.” Sara said.   
“I really thought you were over this.” He mumbled, got up and left the room.   
Sofia closed the door behind him, watched Sara without words.   
“What do you want?” Sara broke the silence after a minute  
“I want to know what your problem with me is.”  
“Never said there is one.”  
“You don’t have to say it with these words, you use other words, you use behavior. So tell me what is it, if we can get it out of the world right now we can concentrate on our work and catch a killer. And don’t play dumb, you’re way too smart to be dumb.”  
“And if I don’t do what you want, will you take me off the case?”  
“No.”  
“What are the consequences if I don’t do what you want me to do?”  
“We will waste energy on a game, we both don’t have to play and that helps a killer.”  
“Why did you give the case to Greg and me?”  
“Because I can’t think of somebody else I’d rather have working an important case. You’re a pain in the ass, but a damn good CSI and Greg has his great background as a lab technician. I didn’t give the case to you to give you order, bully you or whatever else you have on your mind, what I might want to do.”  
“Your old colleagues aren’t happy.”  
“I know, but this isn’t about happiness and ego, it’s about to stop a serial killer. But if you tell me, you don’t want the case for whatever reasons, I can have a look for somebody else.”  
“I want the case.”  
“Even when you have to work with me?”  
“Yes.”  
“Good. So we stop this bitching around and work together like we work with anybody else?”  
“Yes.”  
“Alright. I’ll go and talk to the Sheriff, see what he wants us to do with the politics and try to keep him off yours and Greg’s back.”  
“That sounds like a very good idea, Deputy Chief Curtis.” Sara smiled.   
“You mention my title once more and I’ll put a sticker on your forehead that says: CSI LEVEL 3.”  
“You come near my forehead with your sticker and you’ll regret it.”  
“I’ll take the risk.” Sofia grinned and left the office. She didn’t get an answer if Sara had a problem with her, but they agreed on working together the way, they were supposed to do. That was enough. For now. 

“The Sheriff doesn’t want to have another victim of this killer.” Sofia put a white box in front of Sara and one in front of Greg.  
“What’s that?” Greg asked.  
“Lunch.”  
“You come here with an order of the Sheriff that we have to work our asses off, to make something, that’s highly impossible possible and a second later you give us lunch boxes?”  
“Yes. You don’t work good on an empty stomach. A veggie burger with French Fries and a Hamburger with French Fries. You make your own decision if you want to take the order of the Sheriff and work miracles or if you want to take my offer and have some lunch.”  
“I like your offer.” He put away the report, he was writing and opened his box.   
“Where’s your lunch?” Sara asked.   
“I’ve no time for a lunch, there’s a press conference in ten minutes I’ve to be. Anything I can tell them?”  
“We’re working on it.”  
“Ecklie wants us to talk about the butterflies. He hopes he’ll find a clerk, who remembers somebody, who bought them.”  
“He wanted us to talk about the miniatures too.”  
“You and Grissom decided not to make them public, I was with you. If you guys agree, I’d like to keep the butterflies out of the conference.”  
“You ask us what you should say?”  
“Yes, you work the case, Sara, I don’t want to make it harder on you.”  
“When you tell the press a detail like this, you’ll have a bunch of copy cat killers.”  
“Exactly what I think. I’ll try to get Ecklie and the Sheriff on our side. Enjoy your meal.”  
“Thanks. Have fun.” Greg smiled   
“A press conference is like an appointment with the dentist, everybody loves that.” Sofia made a grimace and left.   
Greg took another bite of his burger. “Do you really think she’s that bad?”  
“You let her buy you with a hamburger?”  
“Oh come on, Sara. Don’t be such a bitch.”  
“I beg your pardon?”  
“You heard me and you know I’m right. At least if you go on bitching around. It’s not like she works against us, she is on our side. Why don’t you give her some credit?”  
“I didn’t bitch.”  
Greg cocked his head.  
“Not much.”  
He smiled.   
“We talked, there are no hard feelings. We can and will work together. And she has a talent to choose good veggie burger. I like this one.”  
“Wow, you made her a compliment.”  
“She isn’t here, if you’re not a gossip Greg, she’ll never know.”  
“How does Grissom survive with your charm?”  
“There’s a reason why he’s away the whole time.” Sara wanted to sound cheerful, but she heard the sad tone in her own voice.   
“Because he needs it to be happy and he can only make you happy, when he’s happy. But one day he’ll find out, he’s happier when he’s with you the whole time. That his wife is better than any job.”  
“You’re cute.” Sara stroked Greg’s hand shortly. “Grissom should be back soon, why don’t you come over for dinner? After our dinner last dinner was cancelled yesterday.”  
“Sure, I’d like to see him again and I always like spending time with you – even when you broke my heart years ago.”  
“You’re crazy.” She laughed. She doubted that she broke his heart. He might have had a little crush on her, but nothing serious. 

“The whole team is together, perfect.” Sofia closed the door behind herself. Sara, Greg and Jules sat at the table, all had a coffee in front of them.   
“You called, we came. Like good servants do.”  
“You’re nobody’s servant, Sara. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not.”  
“As you wish, Deputy Chief.”  
Sofia shot her a hard look before she smiled again. “I asked you to come here because I’d like to know, if you found out anything new?”  
“We went through the evidence twice, nothing popped out as really helpful.”  
“The guys from Days start to lock their doors when we’re around because we annoyed them so often.” Greg sighed.   
“I don’t have more information to add something new to the profile I gave you already. Sorry.”  
“Not your fault. I made a few phone calls to see if any other police station had similar cases and I got lucky. There were two dead women, who fit our victims, found three years ago in ‘Frisco.”  
“San Francisco.” Jules and Sara corrected her immediately in unison.   
Sofia raised her eyebrow. “Alright, San Francisco. Anyway, they had two cases and will send me their files. I’ll send them straight to your computer when I have them. What makes me worry is, that after two dead women the killer apparently disappeared. If I can’t find any other cities with victims like our, I’m not sure if our killer hasn’t already left the city. Jules?”  
“If it’s the same man, it can be possible. The M.O. and the signature is the same?”  
“Yes. Single women, picked up in bar, no eyewitness or nobody remembered, raped, tortured, and left with a pin of a butterfly in the left nipple. Also a week apart.”  
“Shit. That sounds a lot like our cases.” Sara sighed.   
“If our killer has left the city, I’ve to call the Feds.” If her colleagues in San Francisco didn’t already do that after they found out their killer seemed to be in Las Vegas.   
“They’ll mess the case up.”  
“I know, Sara. But if he moved on, we have to let them know, have to make sure, if another woman is found dead, that they know what they’re dealing with. I doubt we can do anything to protect the first victim but maybe we can do anything, make the Feds do anything, to save the second victim.”  
“I hate politics but you have a point.”  
“Thanks. Anything you want me to say or do when I talk to the Feds?”  
“Tell them they’re a pain in the ass.”  
“Doctor!”  
“Sorry.”  
“Now it’s interesting. What are your problems with the FBI, Doctor Weinberg?” Sara cocked her head.   
“They don’t cooperate, which make a lot of things more difficult. I tried to work with them once.”  
“You wanted to join them.” Greg grinned. He knew that Sara had thought about leaving the CSI lab to join the Feds because she was so annoyed with Grissom.  
“Shut up!”  
“The truth is hard sometimes.”  
“I bet you’re the only who gets away with something like that.” Sofia chuckled. “While you don’t let me get away with calling a city ‘Frisco.”  
“It has a beautiful name, there’ no reason to shorten it.” Sara said.   
“It deserves every letter it’s name has.” Jules added.   
“Are you from there?”  
“Yes.”  
“Yes.”  
Sara and Jules looked at each other surprised.   
“Well, that explains a lot. I’ll remember to call your hometown by it’s full name. Jules, any chance you can back me off when I talk to the Feds?”  
“Sure. When?”  
“Now? The Sheriff is breathing down my neck to get them in.”  
“That bad?”  
“I was supposed to call them an hour ago.”  
“Why did you wait?”  
“I wanted to let you, Sara and Greg know first. Wanted to hear, if you have any objections.”  
“Any objections, that made the Sheriff change his mind?” Greg asked.   
“Yes.”  
“Sorry. He’s not that kind of guy, who likes to change his mind. Beside, if we get the Feds inside, we might lose the case but like you said before, we might also save a life when all other police stations know about the killer and his M.O.. So he has a point.”  
“Sara? Are you alright with that?”  
“Whatever it takes to save lives.”  
“Alright. Jules, let’s go. I’m sure we’ll have a suit in the office within an hour.”  
“I bet we’ll have more than one.”  
“Aren’t we lucky?” 

“Can I ask you something personal, Miss Sidle?”  
“Why don’t you call me Sara like everybody else here does?” Sara was about to go home when Jules stopped her on her way out.   
“Okay, Sara. Why don’t you call me Jules, like everybody else here does?”  
“Alright. What is your question?”   
“What part of San Francisco are you from?”  
“Tamales Bay. You?”  
“Russian Hill, just next to the crookedest street in the world.”  
“That is a nice area, a lot of tourists, but you have to pay a price when you live on one of the most famous streets in the world.”  
“Yes. Well, I haven’t lived there since high school. Your place is up north, a lot of nature up there.”  
“That’s right.”  
“Are you often back in San Francisco?”  
“No, Las Vegas is my hometown now.”  
“No family left up there?”  
“My family is here.”  
Jules looked at Sara, she had noticed, the answers became shorter and the voice wasn’t that friendly anymore. It was obvious for the tall woman, she hit a spot, Sara didn’t want to talk about. For whatever reason, but if she wanted to end this conversation without a fight, she had to change the topic. Or at least should get less personal.   
“One last question, after that I’ll let you go home. It’s like looking for the needle in the haystack there are so many people living in and around San Francisco, but have you ever seen this man?” Jules pulled a photo out of her pocket and showed it Sara.   
The color vanished of Sara’s face. “Why?”  
“Because I’m looking for him for over ten years. Do you know him?”  
“You can stop looking for him.”  
“Why?”  
“He’s dead.” And with these words Sara ran out of the office and left Jules standing there without any other explanation.   
“Sara, wait!” Jules tried to follow Sara, but all she could do was watching her speeding away in her car, when she got out of the front door. Sara must have parked in front of the building to be in her car this fast.   
“Everything all right?” Sofia approached Jules.   
“No...yes...no…I don’t know. Sara just left.”  
“Her shift is over, no reason not to go.”  
“She ran out and speeded away.”  
“That’s even unusual for her. Any idea why?”  
“No…well…we talked about San Francisco…I showed her a photo of somebody, I try to locate for over ten years. She told me to stop looking, this person is dead and left like somebody was chasing her.”  
“Which photo?”  
Jules gave Sofia the photo, who took a look at it. “And she ran away?”  
“Yes.”  
“How does she know he’s dead?”  
“I don’t know, she didn’t say more. I read she worked with the medical examiner in San Francisco, maybe he was a case of hers. But I think it’s highly unlikely that she remembers every case and there’s no reason why she should react like that.”  
“No. Why are you looking for him? Did he do anything to you?”  
“Yes.”  
“What?”  
“He gave me my life.”

“Let me see if I got you right.” Sofia handed Jules a bottle of beer. They were in Sofia’s apartment, sitting on her sofa, looking at the lights of the city. Sofia had invited the other woman to her place because she had the feeling, there was a story Jules might told her, that was better be told somewhere quiet, away from work and nosy colleagues.   
With a beer of her own she sat in a forty-five degree angle to the profiler, who seemed a little bit to hold on the bottle. They came here in one car, Sofia’s car, hadn’t talked the whole drive nor when they entered the apartment. Sofia knew Jules hadn’t paid any attention to the rooms, she had been in, was in. It was like the other woman was in a kind of trance.   
“The man on the photo is your father?”  
“I think so.”  
“What do you mean with I think so?”  
“I mean I never met my father. The first two years of my life my mom was a single mom. Then she met her husband, Gary, who is like a father to me, but not my biological father. I can’t remember my life without him, I always thought he is my father. When I turned twenty-one my mother told me the truth.”  
“I imagine that was quite a shock.”  
“Yes. The family, I thought I had, broke apart. They were still there, but there was somebody missing. My father. I begged my mother to tell me who he is, where he lives, but all she could tell me was his name. First name. And she gave me this old photo. They met for only one night, it was a music festival, after that they never had any contact again.”  
“He doesn’t know about you.”  
“No. And after he’s dead – apparently – he’ll never know about me.”  
“I can’t believe Sara stormed away from you. She isn’t easy all the time, but this…I don’t get it.”  
“Me neither.”  
Sofia looked at the photo again. A man she guessed in his late twenties, early thirties, with a beard, brown eyes, dark brown hair and…Sofia looked again at the photo. Something just hit her.   
“Sofia? What are you thinking of?” Jules had noticed the change in Sofia’s face.  
“Nothing…just had a crazy idea.”  
“What crazy idea?”  
“You don’t want to hear that, it’s absolutely crazy.”  
“Right now I’m happy about anything that might help me to find out where he is. If he’s still alive. Did you see him somewhere before?”  
“No…”  
“But?”  
“I don’t know, I might make things up, maybe I’ve worked to much today…”  
“Sofia, please.”   
The desperate sound in Jules’ voice made Sofia swallow. She didn’t want to say something, that might upset the brunette, she didn’t want to say anything, that was possible only made up by her crazy mind, but she couldn’t give her no answer. So she had to find a way to tell Jules what she thought in a nice way.   
“Please.” Jules took Sofia’s hand.  
“It’s bogus, it has to be bogus, but I thought for a second, this man…these eyes, the color of his hair, it’s the same color like Saras.”  
“There are millions of people with brown hair and brown eyes.”  
“I know. But how many of these millions of people live in San Francisco and have a teeth gap? The longer I look at this photo, he reminds me of Sara even I don’t want that. It’s crazy, it’s impossible and at the same time…” Sofia stopped. She didn’t want to finish her sentence. It was crazy. If this was Sara’s father, she had said so. Then again…”Her father is deceased.”  
“What?”  
“It’s in her file, I don’t know when and how.”  
“Sofia…that’s…that can’t be true.”  
“I know I told you it’s crazy.”  
“I don’t know what to do now. You know, this tiny split of a second, when I showed her the photo and it was written all over her face, that she knew him, had seen him before, I thought I finally found him, I found somebody, who could tell me where he is. When she asked me why I want to know where he is, I thought she tries to protect a friend and when she told me, I can stop looking for him because he’s dead…I…my…”   
Sofia pulled Jules in her arms. She could only imagine what feelings Jules had been through at that moment. When she imagined she looked for her father for over ten years, never met him and got told by somebody to stop looking because he’s dead and when this person turned and ran away, it had to be very, very hard.   
Softly she caressed Jules’ back. She wanted to tell her, it was all right, but it wasn’t. Like she could save them the words, that everything would be alright, that was another lie. There were no words Sofia could say to make it easier or better for Jules. No stories, no promises, nothing. All she could do was holding her, trying to give her a little comfort.   
Should she call Sara? Asked her why she knew this man was dead. It wasn’t likely that she got an answer, she couldn’t tell Sara, this man was Jules’ father. Maybe. Probably. God, it had to be brutal to hear that the man, who gave you your life, you never met, was dead. Jules seemed to have no chance ever to talk to her father. All those years of looking for him, all those years of hope, they were over.   
Was it the best to hope this man wasn’t Jules’ father? Or maybe Sara was wrong and he wasn’t dead. Maybe she hadn’t seen him in a while. If you don’t go out for a while, had a disease, some people started the rumor you were dead. It was scurrile, but things like these happened all the time. Charlie Sheen, Morgan Freeman or Johnny Depp had been pronounced dead by the press and were very much alive. Maybe it was the same with this man.  
“Do you want me to call Sara and ask her, if she’s sure?”  
“No.” Jules sat up, but didn’t break the contact to Sofia. “I can’t handle to hear it a second time. I need some time…have to get used to the thought, that I’ll never find him, will never know anything about him.”  
“Maybe she knows somebody who knew him. That won’t give you him back, won’t make up for not being able to talk to him, but you can learn a few facts about him.”  
“Maybe. I need to think if I want to ask her again about him. Right now my mind isn’t able to think straight, it’s a huge mess up there.”  
“Can’t be, there can’t be a mess in such a smart head, Doctor Weinberg.”  
“You have no idea about my mind, Deputy Chief Curtis.”  
“Why don’t you tell me about this mess and we try to sort it out together.” Sofia caught the last tear, that was slowly making it’s way down Jules’ face.   
“I don’t want you to stay up all night.”  
“Why don’t we start and stop when we think, it’s a good time to stop.”  
“Are you that bored?”  
“No, I’m that nice.” Sofia smiled.   
“It’s my job to sort out the mess in other’s people’s head.”  
“Like it’s my job to catch killer. You helped me out, now it’s my turn.”  
“We didn’t get him.”  
“It doesn’t matter, you tried. So I can try too.”  
Jules smiled, closed her eyes, sighed and put her head on Sofia’s shoulder. “What do you suggest?”  
“The easiest way is to ask Sara, if she’s sure about what she said and why she knows that. Why she knows him.”  
“She didn’t look or act like she wanted to talk about that.”  
“No…but if this man is – was - really her father…it won’t be easy for her to talk about his death.”  
“No…his family name should be Sidle…or is that her married name?”  
“No, she kept her maiden name. Jules?”  
“Yes?”  
“If this man is her father, she’s your sister.”  
“I know.” Jules swallowed. “Something else I’ve to sort out. Until this afternoon I was an only child with a mother and a step father, who was looking for her biological father. Since I’ve showed her the photo I became a half-orphan without siblings and now I might have a sister. Half-sister. Does she have other siblings? Do you know anything about her family?”  
“No, as you might have found out we’re not that close, I know about her father’s death because it’s in her CV. I read it when the Sheriff made the CSI teams my responsibility, I had a short look about everybody’s CV, only to get some basic details. I never asked her why and when her father died, it wasn’t my business. And I hate to think that it hurts you to hear my words because her father might be your father too.”  
“We don’t know that.” For the first time since she gave the photo to Sofia, Jules took it back and had a look at it. “You’re right, they have some things in common. The same smile.”  
“Yes. Or we’re making something up.”  
“Maybe. I need to talk to her again. And I know, it won’t be a pleasant conversation.”  
“I can come with you if you want.”  
“Are you afraid she’ll do something to me?” Jules’ voice was slightly amused.   
“Better safe than sorry. She has a gun.”  
“And I’m a trained mind reader, I can make her do whatever I want. I just forgot that today when she I let her run away.”  
“Did you make me take you here?”  
“Yes.”  
“Really?” Now it was Sofia’s voice, that was amused.   
“Sure. I did that so good, you never noticed. You thought the whole time it was your idea.”  
“So you played me the whole time? Right from the start?”  
“Of course.”  
“Good to know. I’ve to tell the Sheriff to fire you.”  
“Sofia, he wanted me in, guess why.”  
“He’s in your hands.”  
“Of course.”  
“You are a very dangerous woman, Jules Weinberg, I should restrain and shoot you. To make the world a safer place.”  
“You won’t do that.”   
“And you know that because you’re in my mind right now?”  
“Yes.”   
“Tell me what am I thinking?”  
“You think, you want to get us a second beer.”  
Sofia laughed, took the two empty bottles and went into her kitchen to get two new ones. She stopped for a second in front of her fridge, put one beer back and brought only one bottle to Jules.   
“What happened with your beer?”  
“I’m a police officer, I can’t drive you to your car when I drink a second bottle. Even the first one wasn’t a smart choice.”  
“I can call a cab.”  
“There’s no need for that.”  
“Like there’s no need not to have a second beer if I can get a cab home. I’m not allowed to drive anyway after the second bottle. Or would you let you drive me?”  
“No.”  
“See. Sit down, I get you some beer. Is it in the fridge?”  
“You don’t have to…” Sofia got pushed down.   
“I know I don’t have to but let me sniff around your apartment, I didn’t do that on my way in.”  
Sofia laughed. “All right. Yes, it’s in the fridge. If you find anything inside there you want to eat help yourself.” She kicked off her shoes. All right, it looked like she didn’t have to leave her apartment tonight. That was good, she didn’t feel like getting up again, but she had driven Jules back home. The thought that she made a new friend made her smile. She liked Jules, she liked that the other woman was smart, had humor and at the same time, she was able to show her feelings. A healthy balance.   
“The look into your fridge tells a lot about you, Sofia.” Jules came back with the second bottle of beer, gave it to Sofia and sat next to her.   
“Like what?”  
“Like you don’t cook a lot, you eat out most times, you skip breakfast and when somebody comes to your place by surprise, you can only offer this person some yogurt, chocolate a bunch of carrots.”  
“There’s no reason to stock the fridge when I throw half of the stuff away.”  
“No, it isn’t.”  
“To which conclusion leads you that? What more does my fridge tell you about me?”  
“You’re a jogger, like cats and you’re single.”  
“That’s what my fridge tells you? Did I put my running shoes in the fridge?”  
“No, I saw them on my way back. But you do have some cat food in your fridge while I haven’t seen a cat yet.”  
“He’s shy. When there is somebody new in my apartment he hides. Justice, where are you? Come here, boy.”  
“Justice?”  
“A cop by heart.”  
“I can see that.” Jules had a look around for a cat. No little tiger came running out of corner to jump onto Sofia’s lap.   
“There he is.” Sofia pointed towards her living room door. A little red kitten peeked around the corner, his eyes very suspicious on Jules.   
“He’s cute. And very young.”  
“Four month plus minus a week. Come here, buddy. There’s no reason to be afraid, she’s a doctor, but not a vet, she won’t do anything to you.” Sofia slipped down the couch, sat on the floor, held her hand out to the kitten. Slowly it went into the living room, stopping every two or three steps to make sure, Jules didn’t move, didn’t attack it.   
“Almost there.” Sofia said when Justice was only a yard away. “Come here, Honey, come in mommy’s arms. I make sure you’re safe.” With two big jumps the cat was on Sofia’s lap and hid in her arms. A little meow greeted her.   
“I knew you’re a tough guy and can make it.” With her kitten in her arms she sat on the sofa, making sure to keep a little distance between Justice and Jules, so the kitten wasn’t too scared.   
“Is there a reason why he’s so shy?”  
“I found him in a dumpster three months ago when I was running. Somebody had tossed him and his two siblings there. The two were already dead, I got him out, brought him to a vet and he managed to stabilize Justice, so I could take him home a week later. He has no claws, whoever was his owner before, pulled them out. It took him two month before he could walk again without pain. Whenever he sees a human he hides. I’m the only one who’s allowed to lift him up, pet him.”  
“So he is a little fighter.”  
“Yes.”  
“A little fighter, who had to find out how brutal people can be. You’re safe here, Justice. Your mommy will take good care of you, nothing can happen to you as long as she’s around.”  
“Exactly.”  
“Did you find out who did that to him?”  
“No. All I know it had to be a man. If there’s man in the apartment there’s nothing I can do to get him out of his hideout. When my parents come over Justice hides under my bed or somewhere else he feels safe. It’s a pity, my dad is cat person. He tries to gain his trust by sitting for an hour in front of my bed, talking to Justice, but there is no chance that my little tiger leaves his safe place.”  
“I feel honored that I’m allowed to sit less than a yard away from you, Justice.”  
You better do. Shall I give you something to eat, Justice? Like the profiler found out, there’s cat food in the fridge. Maybe she wants a spoon of your food.”  
“No, thanks.”  
“An old bagel? Yogurt?”  
“I’m fine, thanks.”  
“We can order something. I bet you didn’t have dinner.”  
“I don’t feel exactly like dinner.”  
“A healthy mind needs a healthy body. For a healthy body you have to eat dinner. There are some advertisements of delivery shops, choose one.” Sofia got up, kissed the head of her kitten and vanished with it in the kitchen.   
Jules smiled. Sofia was right on the mind - body thing. And she was hungry, her stomach told her to pick up an advertisement and choose some dinner.   
“What did you choose?” Sofia asked when she was back.   
“Mexican if that’s alright with you.”  
“Absolutely. I love spare ribs.”  
“So do I.”  
“They have a bucket of spare ribs with five different dips, do you think we should order that?”  
“You think I will share this bucket with you? You might end up hungry.”  
“I doubt that, doctor.” Sofia seriously doubted that somebody as slim as Jules was, could eat more than two spare ribs and in the bucket were eight.   
“You’ll see yourself, Deputy Chief.” Jules took her cell phone. “I need your address.”  
“You didn’t pay attention? I’m shocked.” Sofia wrote her address down.   
“Sorry, my mind was out of order.” Jules dialed the number and ordered their food. “Is your little tiger allowed to have some fun with the bones?”  
“I think he can have one or two. You want to try to feed him?”  
“Maybe he can resist me, but can he resist a spare rib?”  
“If he’s a little bit like me, he can’t.”  
“We’ll see how much he is like his mommy.” 

“Surprise!”   
“Grissom!” Sara jumped in the arms of her husband. This was too good to be true. He was here. He was in Vegas. With her. She didn’t have to spend the evening alone.   
“You look tired.”  
“Ten hours of work, two cases and a long ride home.”  
“Why a long ride?”  
“I took a few detours to get my head clean. I thought, I’ll be here alone and didn’t want to go home.”  
“Wanna tell me what happened?” He guided her to the couch, sat down and pulled her on his lap, gently kissing her cheek and throat.  
“I’d rather forget it.”  
“How likely is it that you’ll forget it and it won’t keep you up all night?”  
“Why do you know me so well?” She sounded a little bit frustrated. Mostly because she knew he never let go when he knew something was haunting her. He never had. Even before they were a couple he had insisted that she told him what was up with her. When Ecklie wanted him to fire her, when she got suspended, he was there, he didn’t let go, he stayed, made her tell everything. And as hard as it was, it had helped her. So why was she surprised that he was here tonight? He was always there when she needed him. Like the one day when she got stopped by the police because she had a few drinks and was driving. He took care of it, took care of her.   
“Because I’m your husband.”  
“That sounds good. Can you say that again?”  
He laughed a bit. “I’m your husband, Sara. You’re my wife.”  
“I think I want that statement as a ring tone.”  
“No, you don’t want everybody to hear this.”  
“True.” She closed her eyes to concentrate on him. He was here. He held her.   
“Tell me what set you up, Sara.”  
“Can’t we talk about why you didn’t tell me that you’ll be here tonight?”  
“We can talk about that after you told me what happened.”  
“It will sound stupid.”  
“An intelligent woman like my wife can’t say anything that will sound stupid. That’s impossible.”  
“I can, believe me. Okay…I told you, we had this case with the serial killer…”  
“Had? You closed it?”  
“No. It’s in the hands of the Feds now. Odds are high the killer has left town. Sofia found out they had a case like ours in San Francisco and after two dead women the killer disappeared. The same M.O. like our cases, the same signature. San Francisco never went public with the M.O. nor the signature. We had two dead woman, so everybody thinks he has left. Plus the fact, we’ve been through the evidence twice, there’s nothing left to work with. We have his DNA, which doesn’t help because it’s not in the system.”  
“It will help to identify him when you get him. Or when he goes to another city, kills another woman and leaves his DNA behind. You’ll be sure it’s him.”  
“Yes, it will make things easier for the future, but it doesn’t help to catch him right now.”  
“But he isn’t the reason why you took a few detours, is he?”  
“No. I told also that we have a profiler in the department.”  
“Yes. Is she nice?”  
“She’s from San Francisco, Russian Hill, next to the famous part of Lombard Street.” They had been there, had driven the winding and narrow street. Before that, they stood on top of it, watched the street. Grissom mentioned something about that this street was like life: if you couldn’t get to your destination the straight way, you had to take some bends to reach your destination. It might take longer but you will get there. It reminded Sara of their relationship. It took some time before they became a couple, there had been some hard times, at the end they found to each other and now they were at their destination and knew, it had been worth fighting for it.  
“You didn’t try to find a road like Lombard Road, did you?”  
“No. She…when I was on my way home, she stopped by and we talked for a moment. I was almost gone when she asked me to have a look at a picture of a man, she was looking for for over ten years.”  
“You know him?”  
Sara bit on her lips. She saw the photo in front of her face again. She remembered every detail of it.   
“Yes.”  
“Who is he?”  
“Was.”  
“Was?”  
“He’s dead. That’s what I told her.”  
“Who was he? Why is she looking for him? For a dead man?”  
“I don’t know why she looks for him.”  
“But you know who he is.”  
“Yes.”  
“Who, Sara?”  
“He…she…it was a photo of my father.” Sara closed her eyes to hold back the tears. All the pain, she had buried for years was back. She could feel it. She felt how her heart ached, how her stomach tightened and she felt sick.   
Grissom pulled her in his arms, not saying a word. He knew she needed a moment to get herself together. This woman was looking for Sara’s father. Sara’s father, who died almost thirty years ago, by the hands of his own wife. That was what Sara had told him. They don’t talk much about Sara’s childhood, about her parents, Grissom never tried to force her into telling him details of her life as a child, he knew it hurt Sara. Like it must have hurt her, hit her hard, when this woman held up a photo of her father.   
“I guess the photo has to be around thirty years old. Maybe it was taken three or four years before he died, I can’t really remember. But it was him.”  
“You didn’t ask her why she was looking for him?”  
“No. I told her he’s dead and left. Ran away. She tried to stop me, tried to ask me more questions. I ran, got into my car, that was luckily parked in front of the building and speeded away. I had to get away. I couldn’t talk to her any longer, I couldn’t handle her around me. That was the reason why I took a few detours. A two hours detour to be exactly.”  
“Do you feel better now?”  
“I feel much better since I’ve seen you here.”  
“That’s good. I won’t leave for at least two weeks.”  
“I feel even better now.”  
“Will you talk to her again? Tell her who the man on the photo is?”  
“I don’t want to. But I guess she’ll be there tomorrow to get some answers. I’d do the same. Gil, I don’t want to talk about my family in the department.”  
“You can ask her if you can talk about the photo somewhere else. In a café.”  
“To have nosy waitresses and other guests listen to our conversation?”  
“You’re paranoid, Sara.” He kissed her again. “But why don’t you invite her here? I’d like to meet her.”  
“Why?”  
“I want to know what she’s doing with a photo of your father. What motivates her to look for him for over ten years.”  
“Maybe she doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”  
“I doubt that. You know something she wants to know. And even when you didn’t say you know him, you told her he’s dead. She’ll have a lot of questions and wants answers. We all would want answer if we were in her shoes.”  
“Yeah.” Sara sighed. “Can we end the topic here, please?”  
“Of course. Want to know why I surprised you here instead of calling and telling you, I’ll be back tonight?”  
“Actually I’d prefer if you carry me into our bed and we celebrate that you’re back again. The why isn’t that important.”  
“Sounds like a very good idea, my wife.” He kissed her softly. 

Part 3

Sofia opened her eyes and moaned. That was why they called it Tequila Sunrise. When you open your eyes, you look straight in the sunrise. Not the best thing after you had about five of the cocktails. Wait a moment, sunrise. That meant, it was about time to get up. Her shift started at half past seven, what time was…six. Alright, she woke up just in time. Her radio, that turned itself on right at this moment because of the set time, told her she woke up just in time. She couldn’t remember that she set the timer. Actually she couldn’t remember much. The delivery service delivered their bucket of spare ribs, they managed to eat all of them plus almost emptied a bottle of tequila by creating Tequila Sunrise with out ice but double tequila. With every cocktail their mood got better and…  
Sofia stopped breathing and got rigid. She tried to hear something else than the news coming out of the radio. Nothing. Carefully, like she was on a land mine field, she moved her feet backwards. Nothing. She did the same with her hand. Again nothing. She turned and found out that besides Justice, she was alone in her bed. Relieved she exhaled and dropped back in her pillow.   
“You don’t believe what a strange thought I just had, Justice.” Sofia closed her eyes and felt how her kitten started to walk towards her head. With a little meow he pushed his nose to hers and made himself comfortably on her chest.   
“The next time I start to drink Tequila Sunrise remind of the morning after it, okay? Or even better give me a few scratches when I want more than three. I need a really cold shower now to look awake and not like a college student after Spring Break. My mom was right, I’ll never learn to act sensible.” She kissed her kitten, placed him on the blanket and got up.   
Not paying attention to the mess in the living room, she went straight for her shower. A lot of cold water to get her head clean, to feel like a human again. There were times when she could handle five cocktails better. All right, they were self-mixed with double tequila, they were stronger than the ones you got in a cocktail bar. No ice meant no water, meant she could drink more. Faster. One day she would come out of the college student behavior. One day. Today was Friday and not one day. Friday. Weekend! If nothing special get in between her and her weekend. 

“Sara, can I talk to you, please?”   
It was tempting to say no, to deny the wish and go on with her work. She had caught a new case last night and was working on some evidence to support her theory that the homicide was a suicide.   
“I’m busy.”  
“I know. I won’t take long.”  
“Doctor Weinberg…Jules…I need to work on this. There might be a suspect held in custody for no reasons.”  
“I know you take your work very serious and it’s very important to you but…this is important too.”  
“What is it?” Sara put her evidence down. She knew what this was about.   
“The man on the photo…”  
“Has it anything with our work to do? With a case the LVPD works on?”  
“No…”  
“I’d rather concentrate on the work.”  
“Sara, please.”  
“I told you he’s dead.”  
“Why do you know that? Do you…did you know him? Please.”  
Sara buried her face in her hands. “This isn’t the place and the time to talk about that.”  
“Name the place and the time.”  
“There isn’t a place and a time. It’s the past, it doesn’t matter anymore.”  
“It does. To me it matters a lot. Please.”  
“Hey Sara, I heard Grissom is back…oh, sorry.” Sofia stopped when she saw Sara and Jules in the room. She felt the tension and she knew immediately what they were talking about. “Sorry to interrupt.”  
“You didn’t interrupt anything. Yes, he’s back. Why?”  
“I was wondering if it’s okay if I meet up with him, I haven’t talked to him in ages and to be honest I’d like to talk him into becoming a special counselor for the LVPD.”  
“He has a job.”  
“Maybe he wants an alternative, one that keeps him in Vegas, close to his wife.”  
Sara couldn’t deny that she didn’t like this idea. Grissom working part time for the LVPD meant he spends more time in Vegas with her.   
“Sure, why not?”  
“Perfect. You have the night off, wanna come over for dinner?”  
“To your place?”  
“Yes. I promise I can cook.”  
“Why not.” Everything was better than talking to Jules and Sara was sure, with this appointment, she got out of talking to the profiler for today.   
“Actually, I need to talk to Sara tonight.” Jules said and looked at Sofia.   
“Oh sorry, I didn’t know you had…”  
“We didn’t.” Sara interrupted Sofia. When she had to choose between a conversation with Jules and one between Grissom, Sofia and her listen, she took the second one.   
“If you want, you can come too and talk to Sara while I talk to Grissom. There is more than one place in my apartment where you can have a conversation in private.”  
“No.” Sara denied.  
“I think, it might be a good idea to meet somewhere neutral, somewhere where we can talk in private.” Jules said. “Please.”  
Sara wanted to send her away, wanted to tell her to let go. But she didn’t want to do that here, in front of Sofia’s eyes. She didn’t want the blonde to know about the photo, the topic. The problem was, Sofia offered her place for a talk and she couldn’t think of a good reason why she should turn down the offer.   
“Okay. What time?”  
“Sevenish? Gives us all some time between finishing work and dinner.”  
“All right. I’ll call Grissom and let him know.”  
“I’ll be there.” Jules left the room, not looking at Sofia.   
“I’ll see you guys then.” Sofia wasn’t sure if a good evening was waiting for them, but she was sure, at the end of this evening there were some questions answered. Personal and professional. 

“Hey.” It surprised Sofia to see Sara and Grissom at her place before Jules.   
“Deputy Chief Curtis, how comes every time I see you after a longer time, you’re up the food chain. I’m impressed. One day I’ll meet you have to call you Misses President.”  
“You’re crazy.” Sofia laughed.   
“Nevertheless you invited me over.”  
“I did. Come on in, you’re the first guests.”  
“Doctor Weinberg didn’t come here earlier?” Sara asked.  
“No. Why should she?”  
“I had the impression you became friends within the last days.”  
“Yes we did. That doesn’t change anything about being on time and not…” Sofia checked her watch “Two minutes too early. Tell me who couldn’t wait to see me?” She looked at Sara and Grissom.  
“She’s still a smug bitch.” Sara smiled. She had a new plan. If she kept talking to Sofia there was higher possibility that she could escape the conversation with Jules.   
“And you’re still charming. Why did you marry her, Grissom?”  
“I love her.”  
“That’s a good reason. Have a seat in the living room. Grissom, be prepared I’ll have a private conversation with you later.”  
“About what?”  
“A surprise.” Sofia was glad Sara didn’t tell him what she was about to do. She hoped, she could use the surprise for herself.   
“You didn’t tell me I get a surprise with my dinner, Sara.”  
“I thought, it’s better when Sofia tells you. But if you want I can stay with you, protect you.”  
“I think I’ll be fine.”   
The doorbell rang. Sara pushed Grissom with her in the living room, leaving Sofia alone in the hallway.   
“Right on time.” Sofia smiled at Jules.   
“Yeah…are they here already?”  
“Yes.”   
“Okay. Do you want to talk to Grissom right away or after dinner?”  
“I thought we talk first and after that we can have dinner. I hope we’ll be all in the mood for dinner.”  
“So do I.”  
“Jules, what’s wrong?”  
“Not now, Sofia. Please.”  
“Okay.” Sofia felt, there was something bothering Jules. Something else than the photo. Something, that had something to do with Sofia. Last night? She couldn’t tell as she didn’t remember a damn thing.   
“Doctor Gilbert Grissom meet Doctor Jules Weinberg. I think I never had two doctor in my place at the same time.”  
“Pleasure to meet you.” Grissom greeted Jules.  
“Same here. I heard some stories about you. The lab loves you. There’s barely a lunch break without mentioning your name.”  
“That’s good to know.”  
“Talking about food.” Sofia picked the topic up. “We have a few more minutes we can eat. Why don’t we use them for some conversation. Grissom, I’d like to talk to you in private.”  
“About the surprise?”  
“Yes.”  
“All right.”  
“We can go into the kitchen, leave the living room to Jules and Sara.”  
“I’m sure they’ll find a topic to talk about.”  
As much as Sara loved her husband right now she felt like punching him right in his face. He ruined her hope of not talking to Jules. And he left the room to leave her all by herself with the other woman. 

“Whatever you’re cooking, it smells really good.” Grissom sat down on a chair.   
“Thanks. Thai chicken and for Sara tofu.”  
“She’ll appreciate it. What is my surprise?”  
“It’s an offer.”  
“An offer?”  
“Yes. I will cut through the case and get straight to the point: LVPD wants you back, Grissom. We know you don’t want to be a CSI anymore, you want to go on some excursions, but we like to have you back in the team. As a special counselor. You don’t have to be the whole time in the department, you can work wherever you want but if there are cases, that requests an expert on entomology, they would like to contact you, have your opinion.”  
“I left the department because I needed to see something else.”  
“I know.”  
“What I do now, going on excursions, teaching at a university, that is what I want to do. I don’t want to be back in the department.”  
“Like I said, nobody expects you to be in an office the whole day.”  
“What do they expect me to do? Leave an excursion in South America to get back to Las Vegas when they need me?”  
“Maybe it’s possible to answer the question via telephone or internet.”  
“Sofia, I’m honest to you. I’m honored they want me back, I know Sara would like this, would like to have me more often in Las Vegas but I don’t feel like working for the LVPD anymore.”  
“Not even as an external expert?”  
“Not if that means I’ve to leave excursions.”  
“If you can stay wherever you are?”  
“Why me?”  
“We want the best.” Sofia smiled.   
“You want me back too?”  
“Of course. Not as much as Sara does but I do miss you. I miss having dinner every once in a while with a friend.”  
“I told Sara I’ll be in Vegas for the next two weeks.”  
“I’m sure she’s happy about that.”  
“Yes. What I didn’t tell her – yet – is something else. After this seemed to be an evening of surprises I should tell her later while we have dinner.”  
“I hope everybody will feel like dinner.” Sofia didn’t hear anything coming out of the living room. She wondered if Sara and Jules talked at all.   
“Do you know what they are talking about?”  
“Yes. I bumped into Jules after Sara left the department yesterday evening. She told me about the photo. Did Sara tell you?”  
“Yes.”  
“Will you tell me what she told you?”  
“I think I’ll leave that to her. Or them. I can’t hear any screams, whatever they’re doing, it seems to be peaceful.”

“Did you and Sofia plan this?” Sara asked after she and Jules sat for a few minutes in silence on the couch.  
“No. I didn’t have any idea that she planed this.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes. I was as surprised as you were.”  
“But you jumped at it the first chance you got.”  
“Because I hoped it’s a place we can talk. I know the lab isn’t the best place, I don’t really want to talk about it in a café or diner and your or mine place wouldn’t be a good decision neither. This is more neutral.”  
“I told you all you need to know, to stop your search.”  
“You didn’t tell me why you know he’s dead, if you knew him.”  
“That doesn’t matter.”  
“It does.”  
“Why?”  
“Because…damn it, Sara, why can’t you just answer my questions?”  
“I’ve my reason. Why don’t you let it go?”  
“Because I’ve my reasons too.”  
“What reasons?”  
Jules closed her eyes. Why had Sara to make it so difficult for her?   
“Can you tell me if you knew him professional or personal?”  
“What difference does that make?”  
“Sara, please.”  
“Personal.”  
“Did you…know him? Know him good?”  
“I don’t want to talk about that, Jules.”  
“Please.”  
No matter how hard Sara wanted to be, how much she had sworn herself, that she wouldn’t give in, she could hear the pain, the desperation in the voice of the other woman. She could hear it, see it. It was personal for Sara but from what she saw, it was also very personal for Jules. It wasn’t like she was trying to locate somebody, she had business with. How could she? Sara wasn’t sure how old Jules was but she was sure, that the profiler never had a professional relationship to the man on the photo; Sara’s father.   
“I knew him very good, he died almost thirty years ago.”  
“You were a child at that time.”  
“Yes.”  
“Was he a neighbor? A friend of your family?”  
“Why does that matter?”  
“I…I’d like to know more about him.”  
“Why? What makes you looking for him for over ten years?”  
“Because…when I turned twenty-one my mom turned my world upside down. Until that time I was sure I lived in an ordinary family, like you see in every TV show. But that day she told me the man I thought, who was my father, wasn’t my father. He was the husband of my mother, he had been like a father to me but he was only my step father. She gave me the photo I showed you and told me, that this man was my father. My biological father and I…”  
“Stop it! Stop right there! You’re talking bullshit!”  
“No, I don’t. Why would I do that?”  
“I don’t know but what you say can’t be true.”  
“Why? Why not?”  
“It can’t.”  
“Why not? Sara, why not? What makes it impossible that he’s my father?”  
Sara got up, saw the open door to the balcony and stepped outside. She needed some air. This couldn’t be true. Jules had to be lying. She couldn’t be the daughter of the man on the photo, of Sara’s father. That wasn’t possible. She had checked it out herself, there was an over an hour drive from the place where Sara grew up to Lombard Street. It was impossible that her father had…no, it couldn’t be.  
“Sara?” Jules had followed her outside.   
“Leave me alone.”  
“I can’t. I need answers.”  
“I won’t give you any more answers.”  
“Please.”  
“No.”  
“Why is it impossible that he’s my father.”  
“He…just can’t.”  
“My mom told me, she met him on a festival, it was the summer of 1977. She had never seen or met him before, they spent one night together, when she woke up he was gone and she never saw him again. All she had left was this photo they made this evening. She tried to find anybody, who knew him the next day, nobody remembered him. Then she forgot him, after all, it was only a one-night-stand. Until she found out she was pregnant.”  
“Maybe she got pregnant from somebody else.”  
“No. I asked her that too. It was the last festival she had been to, after it she went to college and didn’t have sex with anybody for two months. At that time she was already pregnant with me but didn’t find out another two weeks. He is my father.”  
Sara was quiet. She couldn’t really remember the summer of 1977, she was five at that time. She had no idea if her father had been gone to a festival at that time. Probably. Her parents were Hippies, they spent a lot of time on festivals, alone, together, with or without their kids. If she was honest to herself Jules’ story could be true.   
“Sara?” Jules’s hand carefully touched Sara’s arm.  
“All I can tell you about him is he wasn’t a nice man.”  
“Why?”  
“Trust me on that.”  
“How well did you know him?”  
“Well enough.”  
“Was he a neighbor?”  
“He…I don’t really want to talk about this, Jules.”  
“I can see that, help me to understand why and I will stop asking you, even if that will be very hard for me.”  
“He wasn’t a neighbor, he was a relative.”  
“What?” Her own father was a relative of Sara? Jules thought, it was more than a crazy coincidence that Sara knew the man on the photo, that she was related to him seemed to be impossible to Jules. There couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it?  
“He…damn it…if this man really is your father, we’ve got something in common.”  
“We do, we’re both from San Francisco.”  
“And we both have the same father.” Sara stared in the blank face of the profiler. It was obvious she had caught her off guard, she had more than surprised her. But hell she had been also more than surprised when Jules told her the man on the photo was her father.   
“We do what?”  
“He’s related me, he’s my father.”  
“Can’t be.” Now it was the younger woman, who tried to deny the obvious thing. Something Sara could understand.   
“Trust me he is. Was.”  
“I…I…” Just like Sofia had said yesterday. The man looked like Sara, the same color of the hair and the eyes, the same gap, the same smile. Not that she had seen Sara smiling a lot.   
“Sorry to interrupt.” Sofia and Grissom came in the living room, saw the two women on the balcony. “Dinner is ready.” Sofia looked at both. “Are you all right?”  
“Yeah.” Both answered unison.   
“Good. Jules, can you help me set the table, please?”  
“Sure.” Glad to have a way to escape, to get a few seconds away from Sara to sort out her mind, Jules went in front of Sofia in the kitchen.   
“You look pale.” Grissom pulled Sara in his arms and kissed her forehead. “What did happen?”  
“He’s her father.”  
“What?”  
“The man on the photo, my father, he’s her father too.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“I’m sure he’s my father and she’s sure he’s her father. An one-night-stand in 1977. I was five I’ve no idea if my father went away for a night, all I know is, he never mentioned it in front of me I can’t remember a fight because he had another child.”  
“Maybe he didn’t know.”  
“Her mother told Jules, they never had any contact after that night, she had no idea what his name was. All she got was his first name and you can’t really find somebody by only his first name.”  
“That makes her your half-sister.”  
“I know.”  
“You don’t look too happy.”  
“I need some time to realize all of these.”  
“Are you fine with having dinner here or would you prefer to leave?”  
“It would be easier to leave…does Sofia know..?”  
“She knows about the photo, she talked to Jules after you ran away. From the look in Jules’ face it’s not easy for her neither. Maybe the two of you feel like talking after dinner, after you had some time to think and sort out your thoughts.”  
“What did you talk about?”  
“LVPD wants me back.”  
“What did you say?”  
“That I won’t work for the LVPD again. I can see you are disappointed. She told you about it.”  
“She mentioned it, yes. And yes, even if I knew that you won’t agree there was some hope that she might change your mind. I don’t want you to change your life, to do something you don’t want to do but I’d like to have you around. I miss you, I won’t ask you to change our agreement but I think I should tell you that I would be very happy if you were around more often.”  
“You are the only reason for me to stay in Vegas.” He kissed her.   
“Don’t get your dessert before you had the main course.” Sofia teased when she came back with two pots, followed by Jules, who had a pan. They placed all on the already set table.   
“It increases the anticipation.”   
“I believe you and won’t ask for more details. I’ve beer, wine, juice and cola. There’s a bottle of water on the table, what does everybody wants to drink?”  
“Juice.” Jules said.   
“I take a beer.”   
“And because I’ll drive my wife home I’ll have a juice too.”  
“A true gentleman.” Sofia poured the drinks, took a beer herself.   
“Where is Justice?” Jules asked when they were all seated and had started their dinner.   
“I don’t know, I guess hiding in my room.”  
“Who is Justice?” Sara asked.   
“My very shy, cute little roommate. He isn’t the social type, prefers to be somewhere safe when people are here. Especially when one of them is a man.”  
“Puppy?”  
“Kitten. Four months young.”  
“Reddish – white, a beautiful kitten.” Jules smiled.   
“You saw it?”  
“Yes. Yesterday. I tried to get him closer so I could pet him but even with a spare rib in my hand, he didn’t come close enough to pet him.”  
“I found him in a dumpster, whoever left him there to die, succeeded with his siblings and almost with him too. Plus he was tortured. Beside me he doesn’t let anybody close. But I’m sure one day he’ll be my watch cat.”  
“And we can’t get him here with the food?”  
“No.”  
“If you want a kitten we get you one.” Grissom petted Sara’s hand.   
“No, you’re too often away, I’m not home a lot of times, I don’t want it to be bored. Plus Hank isn’t a fan of cats.”  
“I’ll be home more often.”  
“How comes?”  
“Well.” He looked at Sofia. “I got this nice offer of the LVPD, which I denied. I will continue with excursions but only during the holidays.”  
“Which holidays?” Sara didn’t understand what her husband was talking about.   
“University holidays. They offered me to work there and I took the offer for a year. I want to spend some more time with you, that was a good possibility. I’ll be here during the terms and can go away when my students are on holidays. I talked to the dean, I won’t have to stay during the exams.”  
“You will stay in Vegas?”  
“One more trip and I’ll stay, yes. And can be an expert for LVPD.”  
“You’ll stay.” Sara bent over and kissed Grissom. “You’ve no idea how happy you make me with this.”  
“I hope very happy. And I hope LVPD will be happy too.”  
“Absolutely.” Sofia looked forward to work with Grissom again. It had always been a pleasure to work with him – as a friend, a supervisor and an expert. 

“Are you in a hurry?” Sofia closed the door behind Sara and Grissom and looked at Jules, who was about to get her jacket.  
“Why?”  
“Because you look like you want to go now.”  
“They left too.”  
“Jules.” Sofia sighed. “Can I have five more minutes of your time, please?”   
“Okay.” Jules followed Sara in the living room.   
“Do you want something to drink?”  
“No, thanks.”  
“Are you all right?”  
“Yes. Sure.”  
“For a profiler and psychologist you’re a very bad liar.”  
“Sofia…I’m all right.”  
“If I found out today that my father is dead and I’ve a half-sister, who told me about my father, would you believe me when I told you I was all right?”  
“No.” Jules sat next to Sofia and leant back with closed eyes. “The last twenty-four hours have been…a lot things happened.”  
“Yes.”  
“Right now I’m not quite sure what mixed me up more, yesterday night or today.”  
Somehow Jules mention the last night tightened Sofia’s stomach up. She had no idea why but her reaction was obvious and real.   
“Last night?” She wasn’t sure if it was wise to ask what happened last night, the way Jules said it Sofia was supposed to know about it.   
“You don’t remember anything?”  
“I’m not sure…” There were pictures but they were all blurry. “I remember a lot of Tequila Sunrise with double Tequila…five…”  
“More eight.”  
“Eight?” She had eight double Tequila Sunrise? No wonder she didn’t remember anything.   
“Yes.”  
“No wonder I felt like was hit by a train in the morning…did you also have eight?”  
“Yes.”  
“All right. We must have been both very drunk.”  
“We were.”  
“I can’t remember that we called a cab for you.”  
“We didn’t.”  
“Not? You didn’t walk, did you?” Could she have been so drunk that she let the other woman, also seriously drunk, walk home? Wherever her home was.   
“No.”  
“Good.” No, not good. There was something. She remember when she woke up she checked if there was somebody in her bed. She never did that when she woke up there was no reason to do so…except when she didn’t go to bed alone.  
“Did we…?”  
“Yes.”  
Sofia swallowed. So her subconscious knew more than she did and that was the reason why she reacted like she did when she woke up. She wasn’t sure what to do, what to say, how to act. Everything seemed to be very complicated now.   
A little bump on the sofa next to her got her out of the mess in her head. Justice stood next to her, with one eye watching Jules suspicious, with the other looking at Sofia.   
“Hey Baby.” She took him in her arms and pressed him to her chest. Not very happy with this because it got him close to Jules, the kitten tried to fight. “Don’t fight, it’s all right, nobody will do anything to do. You’re safe. You know Jules, you’ve seen her yesterday, you know she won’t do anything to you.”  
“Hello Justice, don’t worry, I won’t try to pet you until you’re ready and come to me.”   
“Go to Jules.” Sofia let go of her kitten. Instead of jumping to the next lap, the kitten vanished under the sofa. The last few seconds had been too close to comfort.   
“Looks like he doesn’t trust me.”  
“Yet.”  
“You think it will change?”  
“I’m sure about that.”  
“That would mean I’ve to see him on a regular base.”  
“I hope you’ll do that.”  
“Do you want that?”  
Sofia knew Jules asked for more than just a visit, to see Justice. Carefully she placed her hand on Jules’   
“I’m sorry I can’t remember much…nothing…of last night.”  
“You were pretty drunk.”  
“Apparently. I don’t do things like that usually.”  
“Getting this drunk or having sex with somebody you barely know?” There was a little smile hidden in the corner of Jules’ mouth.  
“Both.”  
“Good to know. And before you ask, neither do I.”  
“Also good to know. Why weren’t you there when I woke up?”  
“I woke up around four, set the alarm for you and left. We both had to work, I figured it was easier to start in the day separated. To safe us an awkward moment and a long conversation before work.”  
“And you tried to vanish five minutes ago because you didn’t want the awkward moment now?”  
“Because my life is complicated enough and I thought I can make it easier when I run away. Not very smart but it was the only plan I had.”  
“Do you still want to run away or would you stay a little bit longer?”  
“I can help you cleaning up the mess.”  
“That wasn’t exactly what I thought of. The mess will be there tomorrow, no need to pay attention to it now. We could talk instead.”  
“About what?”  
“I know a few thing to talk about, not less than two.”  
“With which one do you want to start?”  
“Tonight. You learnt some new things about your family.”  
“I don’t have a father anymore. But a sister. Half-sister.”  
“Yes. How does that feel?”  
“Like roller coaster.”   
Sofia pulled Jules in her arms, always ready to let go if she felt that the other woman didn’t like it. Jules didn’t try to fight her, she put her head on Sofia’s shoulder and closed her eyes.   
“When she told me he was dead for almost thirty years a world crashed down for me. For all those years I’ve been looking for him, I never had a chance to find him. When my mother decided to tell me about him, he was already gone. It made me angry, mad, helpless and very sad. I’ll never know or meet my father.   
Then she told me he was her father too. I couldn’t believe what she said, thought my ears played me a practical joke. It was almost impossible that she knew him, that she was his daughter…I mean be honest, how likely is it that the woman, you asked if she knew your father, was his daughter too? I think Sara and me have a lot of things to think about now.”  
“Yes.”  
“And if that wasn’t enough, I got drunk the night before and ended up in the bed of the Deputy Chief of my new employer.”  
“Who can’t remember a damn thing.”  
“I can’t tell you much, my advantage was that I woke up first and it was quite clear for me because I was naked in your bed. If it had been the other way around we had been at my place and you were gone before I woke up, I’m not sure how much I had known.”  
“Justice took your place.”  
“He didn’t look happy when I woke up and was in your bed. He slept on your shirt.”  
“Usually he sleeps in my bed, you scared him away. Or we.”  
“You think he watched us having sex?”  
“I don’t know. I’d like to think of my cat like a gentleman.” Sofia laughed.   
“A shy one.” Jules sat up. “I think I’ll go home now. I need some time to think, might call my mother.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes. Thanks for the dinner, the talk and everything.” She bent over and kissed Sofia briefly on the lips. “Maybe you can come over for breakfast tomorrow. But for now I need to be alone for a while.”  
“Okay. And yes I’d like to come over for breakfast. Under one condition.”  
“Which one?”  
“You tell me where you live so I can find you.”  
Jules laughed. That shouldn’t be a problem. 

Sara felt Grissom’s arms around her and she relaxed a little bit more. Usually when he was with her, she was relaxed, slept good. Tonight was a little bit different, she hadn’t slept good, woke up a few times, had a nightmare.   
“We should stay a little bit longer in bed.” Grissom whispered in her ear.   
“Mhm, I don’t want to face the world anyway.”  
“You had a nightmare.”  
“You heard that?”  
“Yes.”  
“I dreamed of my father. He broke my arm. Just the way he did when I was five. And then my mother killed him. In front of my eyes. I haven’t been there when she did it, I don’t know why I have to see it in my dreams.”  
“You talked a lot about him.”  
“Actually I tried to talk as less as possible. But I thought a lot about him the last two days. You know whenever I think a lot about my childhood, it doesn’t do me any good.”  
“I know. I’m afraid, there will be more questions.”  
“Probably.” Sara closed her eyes only to open them again because she had an image of her father in front of her eyes. She had to find a way to stop this, to make it go away. The famous button to turn off your feelings. She hadn’t found it years ago, chances weren’t high she would now.   
“Did you think of what to do next?” Grissom tightened his arms around her to make her more comfortable, make her feel more that he was there.   
“I hope I have a little break of all of this. Jules will ask more questions, of course, there are a lot of questions left. But she heard a lot of things, new things and I hope she’ll deal with these things first before she wants to hear more. If you want to know if I will talk about my father with her, yes I will. Not with gusto, but I will.  
Gosh, Gil, I’ve got a half-sister.”  
“Yes you do.”  
“It’s…amazing-scary-unbelievable-surprising. For all those years I didn’t have any contact with my brother, had no idea how he is, where he is and out of the blue I get a sister…I totally forgot to ask if she’s an only child. Or did she tell me? I can’t remember. I think she never mentioned a sibling.”  
“Her mother met your father once, even if she has siblings they aren’t related to you – not with blood.”  
“Maybe there are other half-siblings. He cheated on her once, maybe he did it more often.”  
“Did your mother ever mentioned something like that?”  
“No. They fought a lot so it could be one of the reasons why they did it. I can’t remember and frankly I don’t want to remember. I want to forget. And now I’ve to talk about it I don’t feel like therapy.”  
“Your sister is a therapist.”  
“And if she tries to make me her patient she’ll be in trouble.”  
“You can’t help people you’re related with. It doesn’t work out and it’s ethically wrong. I doubt she’ll invite you on her couch.”  
“Do you like her?” Being like herself not that what you called the social type or a people’s person, his thoughts and feelings about Jules were very valuable to Sara.   
“Yes. And I’m glad you took Sofia’s offer for the dinner.”  
“She wanted to see you, I should scratch out her eyes.”  
“Only when you think I’ll cheat on you.”  
“I don’t think so. And after I was so jealous at the beginning because the two of you got on very good and acted not that professional like I wanted when I met your ex girlfriend last year, I wanted to become a little bit more calm and grown-up.”  
He laughed. “Don’t worry you’re not the only one who’s jealous.”  
“Not?” She had never seen him acting stupid because he was jealous or saying anything, that gave her a clue about his jealousy.   
“No. When you dated Hank, I wanted to tell you every day he wasn’t worth your time. And I did noticed that Greg had a crush on you. I think, deep inside he still has this crush for you.”  
Now it was Sara’s time to laugh. Yes, Greg. She knew about his crush and she knew he was over her. But it was good to know that Grissom noticed this too and it had bothered him. About Hank, she didn’t want to waste a thought.   
“So we both acted like school girls, good to know. No, I think, if Sofia ever was sexual interested in you, she’s over that. And when she isn’t that smug and annoying it’s nice to work with her. I found out I even miss her at the scenes – a little bit.”  
“How comes?”  
“You never had to worry she destroyed any evidence by waltzing through the scene. She knew what was important for us CSIs, she knew what to touch and what to leave for us. And she could give us a hand when needed.”  
“True. As a Deputy Chief she is in the office, doing a lot of politics and not working crime scenes anymore.”  
“I’m sure she misses it. She might be quite good handling politics but I’m sure she misses the field work too. The problem is when you want to get on top of the food chain you have to leave the field behind.”  
“A reason why we both never wanted to get a higher rank. God knows I tried to talk you into becoming a supervisor for a long time and you always denied my wish.”  
“It’s not my destiny. I prefer to work, write the reports I have to write and that’s it. I don’t need more paperwork than real work. And now that my husband will be more around I’m happy about every hour I can go home earlier to spend my time with him.”  
“Are you becoming domestic, Sara?”  
“No!” She slapped him playfully. There was no way she became a housewife, not even for him. She had tried it in Paris, it wasn’t her cup of tea. She needed to work. Not as much as years ago but she needed to be busy. Healthy busy.  
“Would it be all right when I ask Jules over for lunch tomorrow? She’ll have the day off, I need to go back to work tomorrow night but I’d like to talk to her before we see each other again in the lab. That’s not the best place to talk about…our past. And I still don’t like a café neither.”  
“Of course it would be all right. I think it’s a good idea to talk to her. Shall I see Sofia while she’s here?”  
“Not funny!” She pinched him.   
“Ouch.”  
“You can go and collect some bugs or go shopping. The fridge needs to be stocked.”  
“You’re the woman.”  
“Yes, I’m the woman in charge. You go shopping and I’ll do the rest. And I don’t want to argue about that with you.” She kissed him and pulled him in her arms. A few more weeks and they could wake up together every morning…at least the mornings when Sara had the night before off. But when she had to work, came back home in time, she could wake him up with a few kisses and have breakfast with him. And the thought of spending more time with Grissom could make every day. 

Part 4

“Good morning.” Sofia wasn’t sure how to act proper. Was she supposed to kiss Jules? Shake her hand? Only greet her with words? Hug her? So many questions and only one thing was for sure, she made a fool out of herself.   
“Hey, I hope you don’t have Justice in that basket.”  
Sofia looked at the closed basket in her hands. “No.” She laughed. “No, he told me he looks forward to see you again but he doesn’t want to go on a trip. He’s happy in my apartment. I brought some fruits.”  
“Almost as good as Justice.”  
“Actually, as a Deputy Chief I bring justice to people all the time.”  
“Sure.” Jules smirked. “And you’re unsure what to do next, how to act.”  
“Don’t be a therapist, I booked breakfast and not therapy.” Sofia put the basket on the kitchen table and took a look around. Jules’ kitchen was big, she had her dinning table in here. “How did you sleep?”  
“Who’s the therapist now?” Jules switched on the coffee machine. “I didn’t sleep much, there were a lot of things to think about. But I’m alright, I think.”  
“You think?”  
“Yes.” She stepped closer to Sofia. “Tell me what we do with us.”  
“Whatever we do, we shouldn’t drink cocktails anymore.”  
“Why is that?”  
“I hate not to remember.”  
“Maybe it’s better that you don’t remember.”  
“I really doubt that.” Sofia took Jules’ hand. “Do you think we can start all over again? A little bit slower but with all our senses working.”  
“I think we did that already.” Jules pulled Sofia in her arms and kissed her cheek. “But I like that. Waking up next to you with a headache isn’t the best way to start into a day. The next time I prefer to wake up next to you later than four in the morning, let’s say nine or ten, without a hangover and with breakfast in bed later.”  
“Sounds good to me. Shall we start with a breakfast now? I’m starving.”  
“I hope Justice had his breakfast already.”  
“Of course. He wouldn’t let me out of the apartment before he isn’t fed. I put some parsley next to his breakfast and he started to play with it.”  
“You decorated your cat’s breakfast?”  
“Yes doctor, what does that tell you about me? My mental state?”  
“You don’t want to know.” Jules laughed kissed Sofia’s cheek again before she let go of her. “I set the table on the balcony, it’s a lovely morning for breakfast outside. I hope that’s alright with you.”  
“Absolutely. I get the fruits out. Through the living room?”  
“Yes.”  
Sofia walked through the living room. Jules liked green. Her couch was light green, matching the curtains and there were a lot of plants. In one corner Sofia saw a lemon tree, almost two yards tall with around a dozen lemons on it. If they felt like Tequila again Sofia knew where to get the lemons.   
The balcony was two by four yards, enough place for a little table, two chairs and sunshade. Jules got the morning sun on her balcony, used the shade to protect the food she had placed on the table. A small barbeque next to the table was closed and cleaned, the perfect place to put the fruits on.   
“Coffee, cream and sugar. Anything else you need? Juice? Tea?”  
“No, I’m fine, thanks. It’s a nice place you have here.”  
“Thanks. I live in Vegas since a year I tried to make it as comfortable as possible. To be honest I miss the ocean, I miss green forests so I tried to make my apartment to a little green oasis.”  
“It worked out. And you can have breakfast and watch the sunrise.”  
“Yes. Plus if I want to sit here after work the sun is on the other side of the building so I don’t end up burnt. After eleven isn’t any sun on this side of the building, my rooms are cooler than the ones on the other side. Their air-condition has a lot to do in summer times.”  
“My living rooms faces west so it’s quite warm in there. The bedroom is to the north I’m happy it’s this way. A fan is all right but I hate it when air-cons run the whole night.”  
“Cream? Sugar?”  
“Cream yes, sugar no. Thanks.” Sofia sat down.   
“Have you ever been to San Francisco?” Jules took the second chair.   
“No. How long have you lived there?”  
“Until I moved to here. From kindergarten to high school, college and university, I spent my whole life in the city by the bay.”  
“Why did you come to Vegas?”  
“I needed a change…no, that’s not true. The truth is I wanted to leave for university, then my mother told me about my biological dad. I thought if I have a chance to find him it will be there. Somewhere deep inside I knew it was impossible to find him but it took me thirteen years to let go of the thought. Until I found out that Sara is from San Francisco too.”  
“You carried the photo with you all the time?”  
“Yes. Crazy, isn’t it?”  
“Devoted.” And you got your answer.”  
“Not the one I wanted. I hoped I could meet my father. Instead I had to find out he is dead.”  
“And you have a half-sister.”  
“Yes. One, who isn’t…I’m not sure if she is happy to have me…”  
“It’s Sara.”  
“That means? You know her longer than I do. Tell me about her, please.”  
“I don’t really know her. I worked with her for almost three years, then we lost contact when I made some ranks. She…she isn’t what you call a people’s person. Beside Grissom, who as her husband is close to her, there’s Greg who’s allowed to be a little bit closer to her, who she talks to.”  
“You don’t know any personal stuff?”  
“No. Only where she’s from. So I know as much as you do.”  
“You think…I’d like to talk to her…about…our family.”  
“Do you have her phone number?”  
“No. Only the work number.”  
“I can help you out with her private cell phone number but I can’t tell you if she’ll talk to you.”  
“I’ll give it a try.”  
“When?”  
“I don’t know. Not today. Today is for…us.” Jules smiled. “For the present and the future.”   
“Sounds like something to look forward to.” Sofia took Jules’ hand. The day and everything after it belonged to them. 

Sara thought it was a bad jokes when she was called in ten hours before her shift started. No explanation, only an address. Cursing, because she had other plans for the day, she left her car in front of the crime scene tape. She saw Greg in a distance. At least she was working with him. Immediately she felt guilty for this thought. He had worked the last night, this was either a double shift for him or a very short night. Was dayshift short handed again? Why couldn’t they keep their team together? For years now Sara and her team had to work cases for the dayshift because they were short handed.   
“Hey, you got nothing better to do than working another scene?” She greeted Greg.   
“Neither have you. And it’s not just another scene.” He stepped aside so she could see the body.   
Sara held her breath. This couldn’t be true. Something had to be wrong with her eyes. They were done with this case, this couldn’t have happened.   
“What the…this can’t be true.”  
“That’s what I thought. But it is true.”  
“Damn it.” There was a naked woman and through her left nipple was a butterfly pin pinned. Just like the two other victims. Their serial killer, who was supposed to be somewhere else, was supposed not to kill for a while anymore, was back. Or more likely, he was never gone only took a break of a week and killed again.   
“Can it be a copy cat?”  
“So far it doesn’t look like that.”   
“Shit.” Sara kneed next to the victim. She guessed the woman in her late twenties, early thirties. There were multiple bruises on her body, her throat was slashed and she looked at Sara with eyes wide open.   
“Looks like we were wrong, he is still here.”  
“And so will the Feds in a moment.”   
Sara and Greg turned. Sofia stood behind them, next to her was Jules. Sara hated the fact that she had to face the profiler at a scene before she was able to talk to her in private again. This wasn’t what she had planed. Then again, it was surely not what the dead woman on the ground had planed.   
“Are we supposed to back off?”  
“For now we’re only supposed to cooperate. But I’m sure they’ll take over later.”  
“So why did they call us? Why not let Days handle the scene until they’re here?”  
“They want the best.” Sofia smiled.   
“They owe me half a day off. And Greg some sleep.”  
“It’s always a pleasure to work for and with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” Greg yawned. “Jules, didn’t you tell us, the killer is gone?”  
“That was how it looked like after we got the information from San Francisco. The question is, were there more than two bodies and they didn’t notice that or does he increase his amount of bodies from town to town? The M.O. seems to be the same.”  
“A serial killer on the loose in Vegas, great.” Sofia sighed. “Why do all the crazy people come to Vegas?”  
“They blend in perfectly here.” Greg smiled. “Just like Venice Beach, only bigger. Sara, do you want the body and the close area around it? Then I start with the outer area.”  
“All right.” Until they got told to leave the crime scene they could do what they could do best. Or at least Sara thought investigation a crime scene was what she could do best. Maybe she was wrong, after all the killer, who wasn’t supposed to be here anymore, was still here. And they didn’t have a single piece of evidence to get closer to him. But the last time he left them something, maybe they found another piece of the puzzle today. A piece he didn’t intent to leave behind. A piece, that helped them to catch him. 

“Sara, Greg, this is Agent Snyder, Agent Snyder, CSI Sidle and Sanders.” Sofia introduced the man with the black suit. “Agent Snyder would like to take the evidence, the FBI will work the case from here on.”  
“Of course.” Sara knew her words sounded more like a threat or a curse than like she agreed on what she was told to do.   
“Thank you. I have two men picking up everything in an hour. Deputy Chief Curtis, I’d like to talk to supervisor of the lab.”  
“I’ll take you to him.”   
Sara and Greg watched Sofia and Agent Snyder walking away.   
“Aren’t we lovely, friendly and very cooperative?” Sara asked bittersweet.   
“Absolutely.”  
“I can’t believe I wanted to go there, wanted to work for them. I must have been very… confused.”  
“Or broken hearted?”   
“I don’t make decisions because of feelings.”  
“Of course not, everybody does make such decision but not Sara Sidle. You can switch off your feelings whenever you have to.”  
“You’re cheeky.” She slapped the backside of his head softly.  
“Don’t slap your colleague.” Sofia was back, this time alone and closed the door. “If you have an anger issue, you can go to the gym and work it out.”  
“Want to work it out with me?” Sara dared.   
“No, I don’t want to hurt you. What did you find so far? Anything new?”  
“We don’t work the case anymore.”  
“See it as your final report.”  
“This time he suited up, no traces, that connects this vic to the others. Same M.O., again the woman was killed by a right handed man, around six foot.”  
“I found a footprint at the scene, we don’t know if it belongs to the killer or was left behind by anybody else. It rained a bit last night, whoever was in the alley could have left it. This alley is less than a mile from the other away. You see here.” He got a map of the crime scene on the table. “The first vic was found here, the second here and the third here. All three in the same area of the city, all less than a mile away from each other. If we suggest that he picks them up in a bar, there are a few around, all not places, you want to go to for a drink.”  
“It’s an area with working girls but they all didn’t strike me as them. Plus I asked my colleagues, they didn’t recognize them.” Sofia said.   
“What does…Jules say?” Somehow it was strange to talk about Jules now. Sara knew she really had to talk to her in private.  
“She said maybe the second victim was a key victim. The first time he didn’t use a condom, maybe it wasn’t intended. The question is what did him make to lose the control, the power?”  
“And why did he kill again?”  
“If he is somebody who wants power, somebody who wants to get a higher position, he might be here on a business trip and got the order to stay longer. Anger? Need to be in charge? Or just the possibility to kill? She can’t tell yet.”  
“Will she get pulled off too?”  
“Yes. It will be all covered by the Feds now.”  
“I hope they’ve more success than we had.” Greg said.   
“Agent Snyder acted like they had the killer already. He’s very confident that they’ll have him in custody before he can kill another woman.”  
“We will see if his arrogance can live up to reality.” Sara snorted.   
“I pretend I didn’t hear that and leave you alone. Thanks for coming in early or rather staying here longer.”  
“Our Sunday got ruined just like yours.”   
For Sofia’s surprise Sara smiled a bit. Did they just take another step in their relationship? Towards friendship?

“Got a second?” It took Sara only a few seconds to find out where Jules’ office was and how long her office hours were. After not having any time to talk to her after the FBI took over their case because she got a new case right away, she waited for the next late afternoon to see the profiler and psychologist.   
“Well.” Jules checked her watch. “Actually I’ve got more than a second, that was my last patient and I’ll close my office now. I’m sure you know that.”  
“How should I know that?”  
“Please, you’re a smart woman who prepares before she does anything.”  
“Am I? Thanks.”  
“We can have a talk here if you want.”  
“At your work place?”  
“I put the ‘Closed’ sign on the door, we call the delivery service, eat something and talk. I don’t mind if we talk here, I like my office.”  
Sara took a look around. Palms and cactuses, comfortable chairs, a water bar.   
“All right then.”  
“What would you like to eat? There’s a really good fast food restaurant a few doors down, they deliver. You’re a vegetarian, right?”  
“Yes.”  
“They make great salad, you can choose between a lot of dressings, good fresh home made bread, even tofu.”  
“And you know that why? You’re not a vegetarian.”  
“No, I’m not. But I do have two days per week without meat.”  
“I take a salad with tofu if they have.”  
“They do. Wanna go through into the next room? There’s no need to sit here in the waiting area if we can sit more comfortable. I’ll order some food.”  
“Okay. Thanks.” Sara went into the next room. One wall was only windows, one was covered in a huge photo wall paper of a forest, one of a Caribbean shore and one a green meadow with cows. Sara made the decision not sit on the sofa, that was too much therapy in her eyes and chose one of the armchairs. This was where Jules worked, where she got into people’s head to find out what their problems were, how to help them. Almost like Sara did with the evidence. Trying to understand people, why they did what they did.   
“Our food will be here soon.” With two coffees Jules came in the room. “Cream and sugar?”  
“No, thanks. Is it okay that I’m here? I mean, probably you had other plans?”  
“My plan for tonight was to drive to your place after work to talk to you.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes. We stopped more or less right in our conversation on Friday, yesterday came the case between a conversation, I thought, if we wait too long it can’t be good. There’s always a possibility that we’ll bump into each other – like yesterday – and I’d like to have some things out of our way.”  
“Like what?”  
“You wanna jump in right away?”  
“Sorry doctor, do I need a few warm up phrases first?”  
“Yes, right after you swiped your credit card through the register at the front.” Jules chuckled.   
“I pay the dinner, will that pay our session?”  
“Not if you mean the dinner, I ordered for us. I take more per hour than that.”  
“Why do you work for the LVPD when you make better money here?”  
“Because I like variety. I like to work with my patients like I like to support the police in finding people who harm other, to get them off the streets.”  
“Noble.”  
“Why did you become a CSI?”  
“To right the wrong of the world.”  
“Noble.”  
“Your point.” Sara took a sip of coffee. “Did you stay much longer on Friday?”  
“A little bit. I helped Sofia to clean up.”  
“You and her get along well?”  
“Yes.” Jules smiled a bit.   
“Did you know her before this case?”  
“I saw her, I said hello when I passed on the hallway, that’s it. What about you? Are you and her get along good?”  
“I’m sure she told you.”  
“I prefer to hear both sides of a story. The thing is, you let a dozen people watch the same thing, you’ll get a dozen different impressions. Out of all these impressions you can build your own truth.”  
“There’s only one truth.”  
“If we talk about science this might be right, one and one is two, no matter how you turn it. But in the world of feelings and emotions are many truths.”  
“That’s why I prefer to be a scientist.”  
Somebody knocked on the door. “They’re fast today.” Jules got up and left for a minute before she came back with a white bag. “Dinner’s served. One salad for you, one for me. I ordered coke in case you want something cold with your salad. Otherwise there’s only water here.”  
“Coke is great, thanks.” Sara had to admit the salad looked good and it was a big portion. Four tofu burger were in her box also four different dressings.   
“Is that how you cook?” She asked Jules.  
“Sometimes. When the day tired me out that much that I’ve no head for cooking I order something and pick it up on my way home. Can’t see anything bad in having a salad. If I did that a few times a week with burger and fries I should worry.”  
“Or your boyfriend will worry because you’ll put on some weight.”  
“I don’t have a boyfriend and if I had and he gave me a hard time because I put on some weight he would be my ex boyfriend. Or would Grissom give you a hard time when you put on some weight?”  
“I did and he doesn’t mind.”  
“You’re a lucky wife. Especially when he’ll stay in Vegas.”  
“Yes.” Sara sighed happily. “I know it’s not entirely fair but I can’t wait for him to settle down again. I know he’s happy when he’s traveling around, working with different people but I really miss him.”  
“Nevertheless you came back to the lab instead staying with him.”  
“I missed the guys, I was bored and I missed the work somehow. Being a wife doesn’t help to make the wrong right.”  
“Not that much, no.” Jules paused for a moment. “Sara, how comfortable are you on a scale from one for not at all to ten for very much that I’m your half-sister?” Time to start the topic why they were here together.   
“Can I divide this in different sections?”  
“Sure.”  
“Knowing my father cheated on my mother four, knowing I have a sister the same, knowing you are the sister…I don’t know yet. But more than four. It wasn’t smart to run and leave you without an explanation in the department, I’m sorry for that. I had a few days to get used to the thoughts, the new information and I’ve to say I’m not that mad anymore. Mad at my father…our father. What about you?”  
“It took me hard to hear he was dead, when you told me he was your father too I was very surprised. It’s more likely to win the lottery than asking your half-sister if she knows your father when you haven’t known any one of them. It was a surprise and I like this surprise.”  
“Why?”  
“Because when you’re not pissed off and bitchy you are a really nice person and I enjoy a conversation with you.”  
“Thanks. Jules…do you…have siblings?”  
“No. I’m an only child. Was. You?”  
“I’ve a…we’ve got a brother. Matt.”  
“Really? Does he live in San Francisco?”  
“No. Yes. I don’t know…God, there are so many things…do I have to tell you every detail?” Scared that she ended up on the couch, Sara felt like running away.   
“No.”  
“Good. I haven’t seen him nor did I had any contact with him since I was twelve. He is seven years senior me, I can’t tell you where he is and to be honest I never wanted to find out where he is, what he does. I tried pretty much to leave my childhood out of my present. It wasn’t a happy childhood and I prefer not to think too much about it.”  
“Did our father has anything to do with that?”  
“Yes.”  
“Okay, I won’t ask for details, Sara. You told me he wasn’t a nice man, I do believe you.”  
“Thanks. Especially for not pushing.”  
“I hope we’ll have a lot of time to talk, there’s no need to squeeze everything into one conversation.”  
“No. I’ve a sister.” Sara smiled a bit. “I always wanted to have a sister.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah…like I said, Matt is older, he wasn’t interested in his baby sister who only got him into trouble. I wanted a sister to have somebody to talk to. Now I have one and she’s smart. A doctor.”  
“Not every doctor is smart.”  
“You are, you’re my little sister.”  
“So it’s more the sister part that makes me smart than the doctor part?”  
“I won’t say I’m not a fan of doctors, my husband is one so I’ll say I’m not very fond of people, who think because of a title they’re something better.”  
“Like a Deputy Chief.”  
“I know you and Sofia are friends, she and me had a…start, that wasn’t that great. I think we’re at a point now that we can work together without a problem and even enjoy some private time together. If you plan a house party and she’ll be there too, I come anyway.”  
“You came to her place on Friday.”  
“The perfect place to talk to you in private.”  
“We’ll need a few more talks like this, I’m sure there’re a lot of things to talk about. That doesn’t mean you have to make a soul strip, you can tell me whatever comes to your mind, I’m glad about everything I can learn about my new sister and of course, you can ask me things.”  
“Is there anything urgent you want to know?”  
“No, you gave me a few things to think about. What about you?”  
“Does your mother know…that you met me? What I told you about our father?”  
“Yes. I talked to her on the phone for a while. She says she wants to meet you one day.”  
“We can talk about that when she comes to Vegas.”  
“She more than due to come here. In the one year I live here, she hasn’t visited me once.”  
“You’re a psychologist, you can talk her into coming here.”  
“She’s a psychiatrist she knows all the tricks.”  
“A family full of mind poker. Great.”  
“Just like you, my big sister, you try by analyzing evidence to understand people.” Jules grinned. Sara’s and her job weren’t that different. From the right angle their jobs were the same.   
“That’s different.”  
“Of course.”   
“Yes.” Sara smiled. Al lright, maybe she also tried to get into people’s head. But she did that through the evidence and not with asking them questions…all right, she that too when she was in interrogation. Damn it, she could twist it like she wanted, somehow she and Jules were alike. 

“You’re late.” Grissom embraced Sara and kissed her.   
“Sorry, I had dinner and a talk with Jules…don’t smile like that!”  
“Like what?” His smile widened and took over his eyes.   
“Like…like it amuses you what I did and you want to tease me for it, knowing that I can’t be mad at you and can’t say anything, that will prove you’re wrong because we both know you’re right.”  
“I love you.”   
“You won’t get off the hook that easily, husband.”  
“Husband?” Now he had to laugh.   
“Shut up! If you’re not nice I won’t take you with me.”  
“To where?”  
“Jules invited us to lunch on Saturday. Late lunch because I’ve to work Friday night. If you’re not nice to me you have to stay home alone.”  
“I’m not Kevin, nothing will happen to me when I’m home alone.”  
“You’ll miss me with all your heart and soul.”  
“I always do that when you’re away.”   
She kissed him. How couldn’t she after those words? Even if that meant she lost the word fight, it didn’t matter when he was like this. Moments like this were the best evidence that he was more than a scientist, who wasn’t capable of maintaining a love relationship. They both had their problems with socializing and acting the way most people did but they completed themselves perfectly and there was no other man she could think of as a better husband for herself.   
“You’re not playing fair.” She mumbled.   
“Which isn’t as half as bad as the fact that you like it when I don’t play fair. So, what time are we invited to your sister’s place?”  
“Half past two.”  
“All right. I’ll write it down in my little black book, where I notice all my important social dates. We can squeeze her in between the meeting with the mayor and dinner with Andre Agassi.”  
“Who?”  
“A former famous tennis player, I read an article about him this morning.”  
“Since when are you interested in tennis?”  
“I thought I could start to play tennis when I work at the university. Some sports can’t be bad, I need to be in shape for my young wife.”  
“Usually when men want to get in shape, there is another woman than their wife involved.”  
“You caught me. Her name is Mira.”  
“Mira?” Sara wasn’t sure if she should be jealous or suspicious or both.  
“Yes, she gorgeous. She’s tall, brown hair, brown eyes and full of energy.”  
“There’s only so much.” She made an inch distance between her thumb and index finger. “Between me getting my service pistol and you getting shot by it. You better get yourself out of this dangerous situation, my dear.”  
“I need to pay for her…okay, I see that wasn’t what you wanted to hear…she barks.”  
“What?”  
“She barks.”  
“Are you telling me, you want to buy a dog?”  
“Not a dog, Mira.”  
“Who is Mira?”  
“She’s a former racing dog and will be put down at the end of the week when nobody gives her a new home. The pet shelter is full, they can’t keep her. The bad side of American life, we throw away our best friends if they don’t bring us any money anymore.”  
“How do you know all this?”  
“I met a woman of the pet shelter in a park, she had half a dozen dogs with her and told me that some of them will be put down if they can’t find new owner. Mira is the first one, she’s eight, healthy, enjoys life and there’s no reason to put her down. Beside the fact that the shelter doesn’t have the money to keep all animals. I thought if you don’t mind, I’d like to give her a new home. She’s a greyhound.”  
“Do you think she’ll be happy with our little apartment? And with Hank?”  
“Well, we have a little apartment because I was away the whole time. Why don’t we look for a bigger one? Maybe one with a garden and space for our dogs? Only if you want of course.”  
“You know me, you know I love animals. So yes, save a life and we’ll have a look in the papers if we can find a little house in a suburb. That means, you have to settle down for a longer time, I won’t move every year or two, Mister Grissom.”  
“Well, Misses Sidle, if you’re nice to me I’ll stay.”  
“I’ve always been nice to you.”  
“No comment on that.”  
“Gil!”  
“Yes?”  
“Get the newspaper before I shoot you.”  
“You have an anger issue, my dear. Maybe your sister can help you out with that.”  
“I get my gun!”  
“And I get the newspaper.” He grinned and started to whistle amused. Why again did he travel the world for two years instead of enjoying every day with his wife? He couldn’t remember anymore. Lucky for him, he woke up and made the decision to stay with her in Vegas. 

“Hi.” Jules smiled when she opened the door to let Grissom and Sara in. “I’m glad you could make it.”  
“I told you we’ll be here.”  
“Yes, but you’re a CSI, you have emergency cases, double shifts, you can’t make every appointment.”  
“And a cell phone to call if I can’t make it.”  
“True. Come in, hello Grissom.”  
“Hello Jules, thanks for the invitation.”  
“You’re welcome. I thought it’s more comfortable to get to know each other like this.”  
“You’re right about that…hi Sofia.”  
Sara turned when she heard her husband saying the name of the Deputy Chief.  
“Grissom. Hi Sara.”  
“Hey…”  
“You told me you come to my house party even when she’s here.” Jules smiled.  
“I did. Yes.”  
“Am I reason to stay away from something?” Sofia furrowed her brows.   
“Depends on who you’re asking.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Be nice to her.” Jules defended Sofia. “You’ll see her more often when you come along.”  
“Is that so?”  
“Yes.” Sofia took Jules’ hand. “I like your little sister and I’ll spend a lot of time with her.”  
“Are you dating her?”  
“Yes.”  
“You and Sofia…?” Sara looked in disbelieve at Jules.   
“Yes.”  
“You didn’t say anything about that when we had dinner together.”  
“Because I had to talk to Sofia first if it’s okay for her that you know. We don’t want our relationship in public, that will only make things more complicated.”  
“Believe me we know what you mean.” Grissom said with a smile. “And we know how to keep a secret. Don’t look so shocked, Sara. It’s not like Jules dates the devil.”  
“No, but the Deputy Chief – sounds like a relative of the devil.”  
“You’re not nice, Sara.” Sofia laughed.   
“Give me a minute or so.”  
“Have seat at the table and take your minute. Meanwhile I’ll help Jules with the food.”   
“She dates Sofia.” Sara shook her head and went into the living room. Because there was no dinning table she and Grissom had a seat on the sofa.   
“Shocked?”  
“A little bit. Why her?”  
“Because she’s a wonderful woman.” Jules came in the living room with two glasses of wine. “Very amazing, smart, humorous, caring. I hope you’ll be all right with her. Me preferring a woman over a man.”  
“It’s not my business with whom you go to bed.”  
“No, it isn’t. But I’m your little sister you’re allowed to say something about my partner.”  
“She’s smug.”  
“I take that as a compliment.” Sofia joined them with two more glasses of wine. One for Jules and one for herself. “I told you Honey, she won’t be over the moon. But she’ll learn to love me.”  
“To live with you.” Sara corrected. “Until I find somebody better, somebody who’s worth to be with Jules.”  
“Didn’t you just said, you don’t care with whom I go to bed?”  
“That was before I realized it’s really Sofia. Deputy Chief Curtis.”  
“She’s fine with us.” Sofia decided. “Why don’t you come into the kitchen, Jules cooked some really good lunch and you can sit next to me.”  
“I prefer to sit next to my husband and my sister.”  
“All right, then I’ll sit opposite to you and look straight into your lovely eyes.”  
“Careful, Curtis.”   
“This will be an interesting lunch.” Grissom smiled. He knew his wife, he knew she wasn’t mad, she wouldn’t make a scene and she was fine with Jules and Sofia together. It would only take her a little bit more time to figure this out herself. 

“I still can’t believe it.” Sara put the book aside, she had tried to read the last half an hour.   
“Huh?” Grissom looked over his glasses at his wife. His leg laid casual over hers while they sit in bed reading their books.   
“Jules. Sofia.”  
“Because your sister is in love with a woman or because she’s in love with Sofia?”  
“Because it has to be Sofia. They didn’t know each other before the serial killer case, how can they be in love now?”  
“If I remember right, there was a young woman who asked me a lot of questions when I was at a conference in San Francisco a few years ago…she hadn’t met me before and she did this only to get my attention, because she liked me.”  
“Yeah, yeah, I get your point.” Sara smiled. She liked to remember that conference, when she saw him first. He had amazed her and she knew, she had to get to know him. Because she was too shy to ask him out for dinner she tried it with all her questions. And he noticed that. It was so embarrassing – now that she knew he knew.   
“You think it will work out between them?”  
“I don’t know. Both looked happy and I think both are old enough to know what they want. Sometimes it just makes ‘click’ and you know when you see the other one, it’s the one.”  
“Tell me about it.” Sara smiled. She had known from the beginning Grissom was the one. That it had take them nine years to make out of this knowledge a relationship…they could blame that on their bad social skills.   
“Beside your stupid cat fight you like her. You know she’s a good person and she won’t mess around with Jules. I’m very happy you like your half-sister this much by the way.”  
“Strange, isn’t it?” Sara couldn’t fully understand it herself. Usually she wasn’t that open to new people. Somebody who was a part of her family and wanted to know things of her past, should be her worst nightmare but somehow…she liked Jules. And it didn’t sound strange or wrong to call her her sister anymore.   
“Oh, I didn’t tell you she is really my half-sister, DNA confirmed that.”  
Grissom put his book aside. “I beg your pardon? Did you use the lab…”  
“You’re not the supervisor of the lab anymore.”  
“Lucky for you. I had to tell you off for that. Does Jules know about this?”  
“Of course.” Sara was indignant. “We made the decision to make this test when we talked at Sofia’s place. Even with the photo and her mother telling her, it could be only him who is her father, we wanted to be sure. Now we are. I’ve got a baby sister.”  
“What about your older brother?”  
Sara sighed. “I don’t know.”  
“Did Jules ask you about him?”  
“She wanted, I could see it but she didn’t. She tries to respect my private affairs as much as possible.”  
“The thing is your private affairs are hers too. At least a few of them.”  
“I know. You think I should try to locate him?”  
“No, I think the two of you should try. You can support each other, it won’t be easy.”  
“No, it won’t. A lot of my past will come up, things I tried to finish by ignoring them. And I imagine it won’t be easy for Jules to see that there are parts of her family, she couldn’t see for the first thirty-five years of her life because nobody told her, nobody could help her to get answers. So we’ll support each other and we also have some nice partners, who’ll be there for us.”  
“True. Anything special you want me to do?”  
“Just be there for me.”  
“I will.”  
“Maybe I can use the lab to locate him. With his name, birthday. Again nothing I’m supposed to do.”  
“I’m sure the Deputy Chief won’t tell anybody what the two of you are up to.”  
“No.” Sara smiled. “She’s on our side. Maybe their relationship will come in handy. After all, her lover is my sister, that must bring me some credit.”  
“You won’t like what I have to say but she always gave you some credit, it was the other way around, what made the relationship difficult.”  
“Maybe she was hitting on me.”   
“Now you’re really ridiculous.”  
“And because she couldn’t get me so she reached out for my sister – as soon as she knew she’s my sister.”  
“You’re even more ridiculous.”  
“Do you think I’m not sexy enough?”  
“I start to understand some of the men…Sara. Can you do me a favor and switch back to my wife? The one who uses her head.”  
“You mean the one who allowed you to get a new dog in the house? Who will have to walk your dogs when you’re gone?”  
“The one who loves me for saving Mira’s life, yes.” He kissed her. It took him only a few seconds to see Sara was as much in love with the dog as he was. When they took Mira home, introduced her to Hank, Sara called her already their new baby. 

Part 5

Sofia heard a familiar melody. Since when did she dream of music? Melodies. Something heavy got on her side, something that didn’t fit to her dreams. Her eyes popped open and she saw Jules’ back. Her girlfriend reached over her to reach her phone.   
“Yes?”  
“Hey baby sis.”   
“Hey baby sis?” Jules dropped back, caught Sofia’s surprised eyes when she repeated Sara’s words and smiled.   
“Did I wake you up?”  
“Yes.”  
“Sorry, I thought you might want to come over for lunch. One hour?”  
“Make it one and a half, I need to get ready.”  
“Jules, you meet Gil and me, all you need is a shower and something to wear. Jeans and shirt. No need to get ready for whatever.”  
“All right one hour. I hope you have some coffee there.”  
“And bring the smug blonde with you if you want. I bet she’s with you anyway and you planed to spend your day with her.”  
Before Jules could respond Sara cut the line.   
“She called me a smug blonde. Again.” Sofia complained. She had heard the conversation.   
“It’s her way to say she likes you.”  
“She has a strange way to say these words.”  
“I’m a profiler I’m trained to understand what people say even when they say other words. She likes you, Honey.” Jules kissed Sofia. “Not as much as I do but she likes you. And we need to hurry to be there on time.”  
“Didn’t we want to wake up slowly, stay in bed all day and have the day for all ourselves?”  
“You want me to call her and cancel?” Jules knew Sofia was right. They had planed a quiet day for themselves after a busy week. The problem was she didn’t want to cancel Sara’s invitation, she was happy about every moment she had with her. It was still amazing to have a sister.   
“No.” Sofia knew how important the contact with Sara was for her lover.   
“Thanks. I’ll make it up to you.”   
“You will and I won’t let you out of this easy.” Sofia smiled. “Let’s get a shower, we haven’t much time left.” 

“There you are – and the smug blonde. I knew she was around.” Sara grinned.  
“Listen carefully, big sis.” Jules poked Sara in her chest with her finger. “You stop mocking the beautiful blonde or you’ll be in serious trouble with me. I’ll poke around your head and I know how much you hate that.”  
“I thought blood is thicker than water.”  
“She isn’t water, she’s blood too. Be nice, okay?”  
“Will be difficult but I’ll give it a try.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Come in, Sofia, I’m happy to see you.”  
“Liar.” Sofia just hugged Sara. “You’re very happy to see me. You know your sister and I planed a nice and cozy day in bed, the whole day just for us, you’re the only one she’s allowed to leave the bed for. Because I know you’re very important to her she likes to spend time with you and I want to do everything to see her happy. Do you understand me?”  
“Loud and clear, Deputy Chief.” Sara kissed Sofia’s cheek. “Thanks for taking care of her. Maybe you’re more than just a smug blonde.”  
“I’m your future sister-in-law.”  
“That’s something I don’t want to think about.” Sara blinked at Sofia. “Come on, Gil got some huge steaks for you and Jules and you have to make sure it stays as long as necessary on the barbeque.”  
“You have a barbeque?”  
“Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean I don’t have a barbeque in the house.” Sara got pushed aside by Mira. “Whoa, Mira.”  
“Who are you?” Jules got on her knees and hugged Mira, who was busy sniffing around between her and Sofia.   
“That’s Mira, our new family member. We got her after we left your place the last time. Gil met her in a park and she was supposed to be put down because the shelter couldn’t find a new owner for her. So we got Hank a sister.”  
“A sister for you, one for Hank. Interesting.”  
“A huge happy family – and the blonde witch.” Sara laughed.   
“She’s still insulting me, Honey.”  
“I can hear that. Maybe we should leave.”  
“There’s no way you will leave this place. Get in. Now!” Sara pushed both in the room and closed the door. “Gil, your new favorite woman is all over our guests.”  
“Did you upset them again and she has to make it up for you?” He called back from the balcony.   
Sara shot him an angry look.   
“Come on, sis we take care of the salad.” Jules got her arm around Sara’s waist. “And you can tell me all about your new child and the mean husband, who doesn’t have your back.”  
“You’re teasing me too.”  
“Only a little bit.”   
Sofia’s eyes followed them until they were gone in the kitchen before she got up and went to Grissom.   
“Here’s your favorite smug, blonde, witch.”  
“She has strange ways to say ‘welcome’, I know. Want a beer or do you have to drive?”  
“No, I’ve a servant to drive. Thanks.” Sofia took the bottle. “And you bought a second dog now that you’ll settle down.”  
“Yes. When I heard what was about to happen to her I knew I had to do something. If I came home told Sara about that and didn’t do a thing, it had been her who bought her. Hank can use some company and my mother likes Mira. She’ll take care of the dogs when Sara and I are busy. It’s handy to have a mother who has time and likes animals.”  
“Means I’ll wait until mine retired and get a dog then.”  
“I’m sure Captain Curtis doesn’t want to retire early.”  
“No she doesn’t. Especially not since she’s the mother of Deputy Chief Curtis. Parents are so easy to please when you follow their footsteps.”  
“What do they say about Jules?”  
“She works with the police, is a doctor, they’re happy. Although they haven’t met yet. Not in private. They worked a case together.”  
“So they know each other.”  
“Professional yes. We’ll add the private next weekend when I invite my parents over for dinner.”  
“Jules’ parents?”  
“She’s working on getting them here. They want to meet Sara too.”  
“I know. A huge family reunion and a get to know.”  
“Let me guess: you won’t be with us?”  
“I’ll leave on Wednesday for two weeks. My last trip. After that I’ll be a good husband and stay with my wife.”  
“As far as I know you are already a good husband.”  
“I try.” He smiled. There were a few things he could make better and he was willing to learn. 

“In how much trouble will we be if anybody finds out what we’re about to do?”  
“We just don’t get caught so we don’t have to worry about that. If we get caught by the wrong person: a lot.” Sara pushed Jules down on a chair and sat next to her. “You have an eye on the door I do the rest.” Her fingers flew over the task board.   
“I’m in.”  
“Hallway is clear.”  
“Good.”  
Jules watched the hallway. There was somebody coming down the hall, a bag, that was labeled as evidence in his hands. Without even looking at them, he walked by. They were in an office no need for people with evidence to come in. Nobody should notice them, join them. Unless this person was looking for either one of them.   
It had been a busy night for Sara, she got a new case when she arrived in the evening and closed it just before noon. Jules, who was in the department because she helped Days with a case, met her on her way out and both made without many words the decision to take five minutes for a private issue. Five minutes. Jules hoped it won’t be any second longer. She felt bad, she felt chased, like she did something wrong. Well they were doing something illegal, something they could get some trouble for.   
“I’ve got over one hundred matches.”  
“What?” Jules covered her mouth with her hands. She didn’t mean to yell. Over one hundred? That was worse than the famous needle in the haystack.   
“Give me a little bit more time…twenty…seven…jackpot!”   
“Great, let’s get out of here!”  
“We can’t.”  
“Why?”  
“I don’t have anything new.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I don’t have an address, only a company. I need to…”  
“Don’t tell me you’ll hack the computer of a company.”  
“I’ve no idea how to do that…do you?”  
“No!”  
“All right, we need a plan b.”  
“Write down the company name, we’ll call it.”  
“That will take ages.”  
“Maybe but we’ll…”  
“Sara, Jules, are you working overtime?”  
Both women froze for a second before they turned. David Hodges was in the door frame, watching them. Why was he here? Didn’t he have a home? No, he didn’t. He still lived with his mother. Why wasn’t he there?   
“Uhm…” Sara wanted to throw something at his face.  
“Yes, she helps me. I need some information about a case and the system is still a kind of labyrinth for me. That’s why I asked her to get me the information when I met her on her way out.” Jules smiled.   
“If you want, I can show you how the system works…in case Sara wants to go home.”  
“Thanks Hodges, I’m sure Jules will know after this lesson how to use it. She’s a smart woman.”  
“Of course she is…I didn’t want to imply anything else…I hope you know that…” He flushed while he stuttered.   
“Of course I do. Thanks David.”  
“I’ll go…and leave you…alone…”  
“See you around, David.”  
Sara waited until Hodges was gone. “See you around, David? Are you flirting?”  
“You’re not happy with Sofia I thought I might replace her with David.”  
“Stay with Sofia! Please!”  
“She’s smug and a witch.”  
“Come on, you know I didn’t mean it this way…I promise I’ll be nicer…”  
“Because you don’t want David by my side?”  
“Because Sofia makes you happy.” Sara sighed. “And she isn’t a freak she’s all right…okay, she’s more than all right…I like her and you like her.”  
“I’m in love with her.” Jules smiled. “And I’m glad you like her.”  
“It will make you even more happier when I tell you I’ve all information, we can leave the computer.”  
“Thanks God.” Jules got up, waited until Sara switched off the computer and put the piece of paper in her pocket.   
“You come to my place later?”  
“Yes. Get some sleep. I’ll be there around seven.”  
“Okay…it doesn’t matter when you’re not alone.”   
Jules smiled. They were in the hallway and walls had ears, so it was better not to mention names. “Thanks.”  
“See you later.” Sara stroke softly over Jules’ arm. Now was really time to go to bed. They got what they wanted. 

“Where’s Jules?” Sara saw only Sofia when she opened the door.  
“She’ll be here any minute, had to work a little bit longer. Am I welcome without her?”  
“Stupid question, Deputy Chief.” Sara let Sofia in. “You know why she’ll be here?”  
“The two of you found information about your brother on the internet.” Sofia raised her eyebrows. This was her official story. If anybody asked her she had no idea how exactly Sara and Jules got the information about their brother.   
“Yes.” Sara grinned. “You know the truth.”  
“This is my truth.”  
“No, that’s the truth of the Deputy Chief. When you’re here you’re not the Deputy Chief, you’re the girlfriend of my little sister…she flirted with Hodges today.”  
“Who?”  
“Jules.”  
“No way!”  
“She did. To make him leave the room and don’t ask any stupid questions. I think he has a little crush on her.”  
“He touches her he can look for a new job.”  
“Aren’t you supposed to separate private life and job?”  
“No!” Sofia hissed. “Not when it comes to my girlfriend.”  
“Good.” That was all she wanted to know.   
Sofia sat on the sofa. After she had been here a few times she didn’t feel awkward anymore when she was at Sara’s home.   
“Are you all right with Jules asking for your brother?”  
“Yes.”  
“Really? I know you’re not the one who loves to talk or share details about her past.”  
“She’s my sister it’s her brother too.”  
“Half-brother.”  
“I’ve no idea how Matt sees it but for me Jules is my sister. Not half-sister. If anybody had told me a year ago there was a daughter of my father, I wouldn’t have been interested in having her in my life, calling her my sister. But when Jules told me exactly that there was something…I liked her. Even when I made it not that easy for her when she joined our case, I liked her. And I could understand her, could understand how she felt chasing a family she never had. It’s not only that I help her to get the piece of her puzzle of life together, I do the same with my life while I help her. You can call me selfish if you want.”  
“No, I’m nice to you. Thanks.” Sofia took the coke Sara handed her. “And I’m glad you like Jules. You’re very important to her, Sara. I can see that ever day.”  
“I’m sure Gil would tell you the same about me. After all these years of…” Sara stopped. She was about to tell Sofia some really private things, she wasn’t sure if she was prepared for this. She wasn’t the type, who shared her feelings.  
Sofia smiled like she understood. “You can stop just there if you want.”  
“I didn’t have something what you can call a family for many years Gil changed that, we were a little family. I was happy, really happy for the first time in my life but with Jules…a family is more than two people. Maybe I always wanted a bigger family and she made this possible.”  
“She’s amazing.”  
“She is.” The doorbell rang. “Do you want to open the door?”  
“It’s your home.”  
“Yeah but maybe you need a second with her.”  
“No, I’ll kiss her right in front of your eyes.” Sofia grinned when Sara made a grimace.   
“Hi, sorry I’m late.” Jules hugged Sofia and kissed her.   
“That’s all right, I had some fun with your sister who doesn’t like it when we kiss by the way.”  
“Not?”  
“No. She rolled her eyes when I told her I want to kiss you when you’re here.”  
“Did she? I kissed her too – on the cheek but she got a kiss first. Don’t play old-fashioned, big sis.”  
“Get on the computer.” Sara grumbled. She wasn’t old-fashioned. “We’ve some work to do, it’s not a social call.”  
“She’s grumpy sometimes.” Sofia sat next to Jules on the computer. “What are we looking for?”  
“Matt’s employee.” Sara started the internet. “We found out where he works maybe we can find his telephone number on the internet.”  
“International economy company. If he isn’t the cleaner your brother could be the one with big money.”  
“We leave the money, power and influence hunt to you.”  
“I didn’t become Deputy Chief because of one of those three reasons, Sara.”  
“The two of you stop it now or you’ll both be in trouble with me.” Jules stopped them before they could start an arguing. “Can we let their web pages search for Matt, Sara?”  
“No. We need to click through every department of their company…and all their subsidiary enterprises.”  
“Too complicated.” Jules took the phone and dialed the number of the information desk. A few seconds later she had a connection. It was past seven in the evening but an international company didn’t only work from nine to five.   
“Hey I’m Jules Weinberg, a few weeks ago I met one of your employer, Matt Sidle. He told me if I’m interested in doing some business I should contact him after I’ve finished my move. Unfortunately I lost his card when I moved. Could you please give me his number so I can contact him?”  
“Matt Sidle?”  
“Yes.”  
“I hope you moved to Europe, his office is in Berlin.”  
“That’s no problem.”  
“Alright, it’s 0049 30 8888 7777 55.”  
“Thanks, you helped me a lot.”  
“You’re welcome.”  
Jules put the phone away and took a deep breath. “Does your telephone you send your number when you call somebody, Sara?”  
“No.”  
“Good. I found out where he is. He’s in Berlin.”  
“Berlin?“  
“Like Germany?“ Sofia knew that it was impossible that Sara’s and Jules’ brother was in Vegas too but why had he be so far away?  
“Yes like Germany. At least that’s what I guess. They have an office there. Can you check their number, Sara?”  
“One moment.” Sara googled the company in Germany. “0049 30 888 7777 00.”  
“Sounds like she gave me the right number. Wow.”  
“He left the country.” Sara wasn’t sure what to think or to do. It wasn’t like their brother was around the corner, not even in the same state or country. He was like…what? Even further away than Paris. If he lived there for a while they hadn’t been that much far away when she lived in Paris. Crazy.   
“I got him.” Jules pointed on the screen. “I think.” She had searched the web page of the company in Berlin and got a picture of a Matt Sidle.   
“That’s Matt.” There were so many feelings that came up. Thirty years older but Sara was absolutely sure this was her brother. No doubt about it. She had recognized him even without his name under the photo.   
“Are you all right?” Jules put her hand on Sara’s arm.   
“Yeah…it’s just…it’s been a while that I saw him…he hasn’t changed. Well of course he looks older but…he’s still the same.”  
“He looks a lot like you.”  
“Does he?”  
“Yes.”  
“God…there’s Matt…he’s the manager of the business in Berlin…shall we have a look if we find him on Facebook?”  
“Sure. I’d like to call him but I doubt he’ll work on a Saturday. We have to do that on Monday.”  
“Are you sure we want that?”  
“I do. I can’t talk for you, Sara.”  
“I’m…I think I need a night to realize that he might be back in my life. And we have to check the time because of the time difference.”  
“You know how much the difference is?”  
“Should be the same like Paris, nine hours. Ahead of us.”  
“So if we want to call him during his work time…we have to get up early.”  
“Yes.”  
“We can try it after you finish your shift on Monday and before I start to work. Seven, that makes four in the afternoon. Even he isn’t available we might be able to talk to his secretary.”  
“I’ve got him.” Sara had found Matt on Facebook but he didn’t share any information with them. “We could add him.”  
“And tell him we’re his sisters? Okay he should know when he sees your name…maybe he looked you up too.”  
“And didn’t find me because of the nick name I use.”  
“Possible. Add me.”  
“Why?”  
“So I can see what you do.”  
“You can come over and see it for yourself. I don’t really use my account, it was handy when I was gone to stay in contact with the guys. Or do you plan to leave any time soon, Jules?”  
“No.”  
“See.”  
“Spoilsport.”  
“Adult.”  
“Honey, do something!”  
“I’ll stay out of this.” Sofia raised her hands. There was no way she’d get in this conversation. She was a listener.  
“You can add Sofia.”  
“She doesn’t have an account.”  
“Really?”  
“No I don’t need that. I can keep in touch with my friends by mail or phone. They’re all around Vegas, no need for Facebook. No Facebook, no Twitter, no whatever else there is to tell people you know and don’t know what you do. It’s a safety reason. You tell them you’re on holidays and dozen of people know where to rob the next apartment.”  
“Police officer.” Jules sighed.   
“She’s right. And I’d prefer to talk to Matt than send him a friends request.”  
“Okay, then let us call him on Monday. A brother in Berlin. A family meeting will be very difficult.”  
“If he doesn’t come to California or Nevada, yes.”  
“I don’t mind a holiday trip to Europe.” Jules looked at Sofia.   
“Shouldn’t you ask Sara to join you?”  
“She has to talk about that with Grissom first. And I’d like to have you by my side if you don’t mind.”  
“Even if she didn’t want to go with your words you made her come with you.” Sara chuckled. “You know that, Miss Psychologist.”  
“I don’t play my girlfriend.”  
“No, of course not.”   
“If she did it worked. I’ll come with you. And so will you, you won’t let your sister go there alone.”  
“Are you telling me what to do?”  
“I ask you, I beg you, I tell you, whatever works. Choose one.”  
“You beg me. Jules, can we make the decision after we talked to him? Maybe he doesn’t want any contact.” If he and Jules had called her a year ago she wasn’t sure if had wanted the contact. She had no idea how he took their childhood she had no idea if he had finished with his childhood and started a life without their past.  
“Sure. His decision.”  
“And no matter what his decision is we’ll get through it. No matter what he’ll say you have a sister.”  
Jules smiled. “Are you doing the job of the psychologist now?”  
“Am I any good?”  
“Perfect.” Jules hugged her. Sara was right. No matter what Matt would say she had a sister and this sister was there for her. An amazing bond they built in a short time. 

Sara swallowed. Was it right what she was about to do? Could she handle the possible consequences?   
“We don’t have to do this.” Jules got her arm around Sara. She knew it was harder for Sara than for her. For herself it was an adventure, a new piece of the puzzle of the family she didn’t know. For Sara it was a step back to her childhood and as much as Jules knew about Sara’s childhood it wasn’t a good one. If she hesitated and was unsure if she wanted to go back there, Jules could understand her.   
“No, we’ll do it.”  
“Sure?”  
“Yes.”  
“I don’t want you to…have any problems because of this. I’m afraid you might suffer.”  
“If I have nightmares you’ll have to come over and make sure I’m fine until Grissom is back.” She tried to smile.   
“I’ll do that.” Jules was serious. “I’ll stay with you that’s no problem at all. Whatever it takes to make it better or easier for you.”  
“Thanks.” She took her phone. A little bit after six in the morning here in Las Vegas, after three in the afternoon in Berlin. “Let’s do it.” She dialed the number Jules got from the woman the other day. She got a secretary on the phone, who answered in German so Sara didn’t understand a word.   
“Hi, I’m Sara…do you speak English?”  
“Of course. How can I help you?”  
“I’d like to talk to Matt Sidle.”  
“Are you a business partner?”  
“No, no, I’m…family.”  
“Mister Sidle is a conference right now, it can take probably another half an hour. Can I give him your number so he can call you back?”  
“Yes.” Sara gave the secretary her number.   
“I hate to wait.” Jules got up and walked around the room.  
“Aren’t therapists supposed to be patient?”  
“I’m not working.”  
Sara smiled. “Want a coffee?”  
“Am I not jumpy enough?”  
“Don’t you associate coffee with relaxing?”  
Jules furrowed her brows. “You really start to sound like a therapist. Did you read books about my profession?”  
“Hey, my baby sis is a therapist, I want to know some things about her job, how it works and so on. Yes I bought a book or two.”  
“Cute.”  
“You got pretty good in the CSI work yourself.”  
“I work with them a lot, I don’t want to destroy evidence when I’m at a scene.”  
“Very wise.”  
“Can you teach me some of the things you do? Not the different things, easy stuff like lifting a finger print, how to compare them the easiest way.”  
“Sure. Do you want to change your job?”  
“No, I want to back up my sister if she needs help. I don’t want her to be annoyed when I’m at a scene because she thinks I waltz through all the evidence and make her job harder. I know you that that first, no need to deny it.”  
Sara laughed. “All right, I’ll teach you some tricks. Grissom can teach you a lot about bugs.”  
“No offense but I’m not a big fan of all those little creepy monsters, that make their way in my apartment – unwanted.”  
“He can give you a bug collection for your birthday.”  
Jules looked blank at Sara. “There are such things as bug collections? Are you serious?”  
“There are all sorts of things, Jules.”  
“Tell him I’m happy when he just comes around with you.”  
“All right. No roaches? He trains them for races.”  
“Please.” Jules made a grimace. She didn’t want roaches in her apartment, she was happy when nothing smaller than a cat was in there. And so far Justice hadn’t made his way to her apartment and until he did, it had to be an animal free household – apart from Mira and Hank, who were welcome.  
“He’s your brother-in-law.”  
“You married him.”  
“I had no other choice.”  
“How’s that?”  
“He asked me while we were surrounded by bees. He told me they’re not aggressive, I can let them sit on my hand and guess what happened – I got sting. He was so sorry and then he said: maybe we should get married – what do you think? I was so stunned but managed to agree. Because we were wearing protection suits our kiss became a little bit awkward - without touching each others lips.” Sara smiled when she remembered that day. For so many years she had waited for that question and when he finally asked it, she almost wasn’t able to answer.   
“You guys are two of a kind.”  
“We complete each other.”  
“In a very weird way, yes.”  
“Like we do?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’ve to say, Jules, nobody beside Grissom made it ever that fast into my heart. I haven’t figured how you did that, probably played me with your therapist psychologist tricks but I won’t complain. I like it just the way it is.”  
“Good to know.” Jules sat next to Sofia and placed her head on Sara’s shoulder.   
“How did you know Sofia is the right one for you?”  
“Huh?” Jules sat up again.   
“Did you like her right away?”  
“I liked working with her.”  
“That’s it?”  
“At the beginning of the case we all worked together she and me had dinner together. Only to have something to eat and I gave her an update so I could sleep a little bit longer in the morning and didn’t have to write the report so early. She was a good company.”  
“But nothing more.”  
“No.”  
“So when did you find out she’s more?”  
“I didn’t. The tequila did.”  
“What?”  
“The evening when I showed you the photo of our dad she took me to her place because she saw I needed somebody to talk. We ended up drinking a lot of tequila and in bed. Both too drunk to remember a thing but I woke up around four, naked in her bed, drew my own conclusion and left after I called a cab. At that time I was already messed up inside, it got worse when we met the next evening, you told me that the man on the photo was also your father. There I was, realizing I’ll never meet my father and have a sister, who didn’t seem to be too happy to know about me and an one night stand, I wanted to be more but wasn’t sure if Sofia felt the same nor if I had the head to handle my family problems and relationship situation at the same time. So when you and Grissom were gone, we talked, not long but enough to know we wanted the same and she would give me the freedom I needed to get used to the new situation.”  
“An unusual start.”  
“Yes. But it worked out.”  
“Apparently.” The phone rang. Both women flinched and looked at each other. Was that Matt? What were they supposed to say? Well, it was Sara, who had to answer the phone. Slowly she picked it.   
“Hello?” Great, she should at least say her name, she was a fool.   
“Sara?”   
Hearing the voice of her brother made Sara almost drop the phone. Immediately she felt like she was child again. She wasn’t in Vegas, she was back in San Francisco. With her parents and Matt. A child in the B&B.  
She felt Jules’ hand on hers. “Yes.”   
“Is that really you?”  
“It’s me. Are you really Matt? My big brother?”  
“Who got in trouble all the time because of her little sister, yes. I haven’t heard from you since…a long time.”  
“Almost thirty years.” The day when she got taken into foster care because he wasn’t allowed to be her legal guardian. She had cried a lot, had tried to hold on to him but it didn’t help. She had to go. The last time they had seen each other.   
“How did you find me?”  
“Are you mad?”  
“Was I ever mad with you, little Sara?”  
“Yes. A few times.”  
“If that’s true you deserved it. Where are you?”  
“Las Vegas. What are you doing in Berlin?”  
“I live here.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes. Since twenty-five years.”  
“Wow.” She didn’t have a chance to bump into him, he had left the country before she was an adult.   
“I got myself together, got a good job and worked myself up to the top. When they asked me if I want to go here, I took the chance. Never regretted it.”  
“That’s good.”  
“And you? You were always smart, you must be a doctor, professor or something like that by now.”  
“No. I’m a CSI.”  
“Like in TV.”  
“Yes. Just not that flashy. But…” Sara looked at Jules. “Matt…there’s a reason why I called you…somebody.”  
“You want to get married and want me by your side.”  
“I’m already married…no…this is something, that’s also new to me…we…we have a sister.”  
“What? Of course I’ve a sister, stupid.”  
“No, we have one together. A half-sister.”  
“Mom was pregnant?”  
“No…we all have the same father.”  
“What? Are you sure?”  
“Yes…and I’m sorry to tell you this so fast, it’s not the right way I’m sure but I’ve no idea how to do it better, you know this social stuff has never been my world…our father had an one night stand with a woman from San Francisco while he was married to mom and they had a daughter together…Jules…she’s with me in Vegas. We know about this only for a few weeks, I told her about you we tried to find you and got you in Berlin…I’m sorry when this is all a huge mess for you.”  
“It certainly surprises me…but I’m not surprised that our father wasn’t faithful. Their marriage wasn’t a happy one, we both know that. That he has a daughter with somebody else is…fits. How is she?”  
“Great. She sits next to me, you can talk to her if you can handle even more family.”  
“All right.”  
Sara handed Jules the phone. Matt was on the phone. Her brother. Her heart was pumping like she ran a marathon and a strange feeling of happiness took over her body. Her brother. He remember her. He talked to her. He wasn’t mad. 

“Doctor Weinberg, do you have a second?”  
“Of course, Deputy Chief Curtis.” Jules let Sofia in her office and closed the door behind her. She hadn’t known that Sofia wanted to come along, she was on her way to lunch probably Sofia knew that and took this time to have a few minutes with Jules alone without that anybody had to wait longer for their appointment.   
“How are you?”  
“Hungry.”  
“Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I mean.” Sofia had to fight the urge to hug Jules. She wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or if she should give her girlfriend a little bit more space.   
“I talked to him.”  
“Jules, tell me if you don’t want to talk about and I stop asking.”  
“I…I’m not sure yet what to think, to say, to do.”  
“Anything you’re sure of?”  
“Yes. I’d like to be in your arms for a moment.”  
“We can make that wish come true.” Sofia closed the distance between her and Jules and embraced her.   
“Thanks.” Jules closed her eyes and leant on Sofia. “He lives since twenty-five years in Berlin. It’s so unreal.”  
“He’s real. Your brother is real.”  
“He is. We couldn’t talk much, he was working but we’ll talk again. Saturday, when Sara comes back from work we’ll talk via internet so we can have a conversation all together. Maybe even with the web cam. He’s married with three kids.”  
“You’re an aunt.”  
“Yes. A sister, an aunt, my family gets bigger and I like it. My life is like a roller coaster.”  
“Do you like roller coaster rides?”  
“Most times.”  
“What part do you want me to be?”  
“The one, who rides the roller coaster with me and takes me out of it for some breaks.”  
“That should be something I can do. Want me to take you out for a lunch break? And we talk tonight when we’ve all the time in the world?”  
“Sounds good.” Jules smiled. That gave her some more hours to work on the new information she got. And people say the years of a teenager were a mess. Her teenager time was less exciting than her last past weeks. 

Sara took a deep breath. She had expected something like that. A nightmare. Flashback. Whatever you wanted to call it. She knew, her past wouldn’t leave her alone without trying to interfere with her present life. Of course she had been happy to talk to Matt, to hear that he was fine but when she was in bed and fell asleep, memories of her childhood crept back into her conscious and made her dream of events that weren’t that nice. Things she had tried to ignore for all those years, things she had hoped she was done with. He was her brother and he was witness of the time that still gave her most of her troubles.   
She checked the clock. A little bit after four, no need to go back to sleep. She was better off when she took a shower and went out with the dogs. A walk in the park could relax her more than a sleep with nightmares and bad memories.   
Matt. Her older brother. He lived in Berlin, had a family and was a successful business man. Who would have thought that? When they were young Matt was the one who always sought trouble and danger, who didn’t care much about orders and school. He was the one who had to try everything. Like the weed she found once in his room, told her parents about it and he got into a lot of trouble for that. For Hippie parents they had been not very open-minded when it came to their fifteen years old son smoking pot.   
Somehow he had turned himself into a man who took responsibility, a manager of a medium size company. Sara had checked out the company she had checked for him, articles and photos. Her brother was a business man with a family and a new life. She wondered if he left America to start somewhere new to forget his past. He had almost the same experiences like she had, he had to be traumatized too. Probably he coped better, probably he took some help. When it came to things like this he had been always more sensitive than her. He had been the social type while she was the loner.   
They hadn’t talked about it but Sara knew Jules wanted to meet him and somewhere deep inside, she also wanted to see her brother again. But was that something smart? Wasn’t she better off to stay away? Not get more and more memories of her childhood thrown into her face? She had no idea what was smart and what not. She needed Grissom. She wanted him here. He could help her sort out all the mess in her head. 

“Is it a good time?”  
“It’s always a good time for you to come around.” Jules smiled and opened the door for Sara, Mira and Hank.   
“Thanks.” She entered the apartment. Somehow her legs had carried her here she didn’t realized what she was about to do until she rang the doorbell and then it was too late to change anything. Busy her dogs started to sniff around the apartment. Sara knew Hank would lay down soon, Mira on the other hand was too active, she’d run around for a while.   
“I made some coffee, care for a cup?”  
“Absolutely.”  
“Alright. Why don’t you find us a nice place to sit while I get the coffee?”  
Sara went on the balcony and sat down there. The air was warm, the sun hit behind some clouds, but she could feel the rays and the warmth. The air smelled like rain, maybe a little thunderstorm. She hoped that would cool down the air, the city, the people. It had been hot for a few days and every day the amount of violence increased. People lost their temper too easily when it was hot and humid.   
“Look what I’ve found a cute little donut, do you feel like donut?”  
“Sugar is never a bad solution.” Sara smiled.   
“For what problem do you need a solution, Sara?” Jules sat in a forty-five degree angle next to her.   
“You switched into therapist mode.”  
“Got me. But I’m sorry to say that you look like you can use a therapist.”  
“I didn’t sleep good.”  
“I’m sorry.”   
“Not your fault.”  
“I made you call Matt.”  
“I dialed the number myself, you didn’t force me.”  
“No but I put you in a situation to do that.”  
“I made the decision to talk to him myself. Again, you didn’t force me. Like you are not the reason why I have nightmares.”  
Jules took Sara’s hands. “You don’t have to tell me why you have these nightmares but I can see – not only as a therapist – that there is something haunting you. More than haunting.”  
“You have a diagnosis on me?”  
“I’ve an idea but that doesn’t matter. I can be wrong, I’m your sister not your therapist nor your doctor.”  
“You are a doctor and a therapist.”  
“Yes I am. Like you are a CSI, what doesn’t mean you can tell what evidence means by just looking at it, you need to examine it, need some time with it.”  
“Means?”  
“Means as your sister and a therapist I suggest that you talk to somebody who can help you to chase those demons of your past out of your life. That’s something hard to do, something that will take some time but it will give you your life back. Some things you can’t work out alone and family and friends aren’t enough help – no matter how much they love you.”  
“I’m not treatable.”  
“Says who?”  
“I don’t like people who try to poke around my head.”  
“Nobody likes that. Sometimes I feel like slapping my therapist too.”  
“You have a therapist?”  
“Of course.” Jules laughed. “I’ve to put up the whole day with other people’s shit, I’ve to work my way into the minds of murderer, rapists and all those people you don’t want to run around free. I need somebody to make sure I’m doing alright. Some things can knock you off and then you need somebody who can catches your fall. Your partner can’t do that as good as a trained therapist.”  
“I’ll think about it but I don’t like it.”  
“You like nightmares and flashbacks?”  
“No.” Sara smiled. “I like talking to you, even when you say things I don’t want to hear.”  
“Good to know.”   
The doorbell rang.  
“Shall I guess who that is?” Sara asked with a smirk.  
“You’ll be right. Can you do me a favor?”  
“Sure.”  
“Stay, don’t leave.” Jules saw that Sara wanted to leave because Sofia was in front of the door.   
“Sofia is here…”  
“I know that and I’d like to have you around a little bit longer. She won’t mind and you can have a second donut. I bet you didn’t eat before you left home for a walk.”  
“Busted.”  
“Told you I’m good.” Jules stroke softly with her finger over Sara’s cheek and went into her apartment to open the front door. She wanted Sara around, she wanted her to have some company and the chance to talk about Matt. Sara wouldn’t talk about her past, her nightmares, Jules knew that but she was sure, the company was a start for her. 

Part 6

“How much did you miss me?”  
“Just as much as the postman.”   
“The postman?”  
“He rings twice a day.”  
“Why’s that?”  
“He like me…”  
“More than all his others customers?”  
“Of course. I’m special, right?”  
“Above special.” Grissom pulled Sara in his arms and kissed her. “I missed you more than words can say. And I’m happy that this was the last time I had to go away from you. No more traveling without my wife anymore.”  
“Sounds good…whoo.” Sara found herself on the sofa. Mira had pushed her down to get Grissom’s full attention.   
“You missed me more than the postman, didn’t you?”  
“I should have sent her away…Jules can use a pet.”  
“Nobody sends my little girl away. We’ll have a lovely walk with Hank later.”  
“Make that much later.”  
“You can join us.”  
“Oh, I will but first I’ll have dinner with you.”  
“Everything alright?” Finally he noticed Sara had something on her chest. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing wrong.”  
“Don’t lie to your husband.”  
“Why don’t we sit down and talk?”  
Now it was officially. When Sara asked him to sit down and talk there was something going on. Something wasn’t like it should be. “Are you alright? I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you contact Matt…”  
“I’m fine…or let’s say I work on that.” She still had some weird dreams of her childhood but since she talked to Jules it got better. Maybe her sister wasn’t supposed to be her therapist but she was a therapist and knew what to do and what to say to make Sara feel a little bit better.   
“How?”  
“I…” She sighed. She didn’t want to talk about Matt or her nightmares now. “Jules gave me the name of a therapist and I made an appointment so I get some professional help to come over what happens in my childhood. You know I did just as much as I had to, never got deep enough to make it go away. I’ll do that now. She already made me talk a lot and I’ve to say, after it I feel better.”  
He pulled her in his arms. “I’m proud of you. I can imagine it will be hard but you can make it and I’m sure it will help you.”  
“I hope so. I do that not only for myself, I do that for us…”  
“And I’ll give you as much support as I can. Please, please tell me if there’s anything I can do for you.”  
“You can sit down with me and have dinner.”  
“I’ll do that. Sorry Mira, wife first.”  
“She’ll understand.”  
“I fed her a few minutes ago, so she and Hank are fine with a little break before we have a walk. It’s better to wait after dinner, especially when you’re such a restless dog like you are, Mira.” He petted the head of the greyhound. The difference between Hank in Mira was, Hank showed how happy he was about Grissom’s return with his eyes, Mira with jumping around. Two different character, two different ways to show happiness. “I called an old friend of mine, he knows somebody who works and trains racing dogs. Maybe he’ll let Mira run with his dogs when they do practice. She won’t race anymore, but I’m sure she’ll enjoy to chase a rubber rabbit or whatever and do, that’s in her blood: speeding.”  
“I think that’s a good idea and poor old Hank will be happy when she comes home tired and won’t annoy him anymore.”  
“Yeah, poor old buddy.” Grissom smiled at Hank who laid flat on his side and snored. He had greeted Grissom when he came home and took off as soon as Mira tried to make him chase her. “Shall I open a bottle of wine?”  
“Only for, I’m fine, thanks.”  
“You don’t have to work tonight, do you?”  
“No, I’m off.” She had arranged that on his first night back home she could stay with him. After two weeks of separation, she didn’t need another night.   
“A beer?”  
“No, thanks.”  
“Alright. How about some juice?”  
“Perfect.” Sara came back in the living room after she had changed. Grissom had arranged the table and all she had to do what sit down and eat. That was what she wanted every day from now on. A husband who took care of the house and provided the meals.   
“You know.” He cocked his head while he sipped on his wine. “If I hadn’t asked you a while ago if you want to be my wife I’d do it know.”  
“You can do that.”  
“Would you marry me again?”  
“Yes.”  
“We never went to church…”  
“You want to do that?”  
“Maybe…what about you?”  
“I can imagine to marry you again in a few years.”  
“A few years?” He was confused. Why wait so long? There was no reason why they shouldn’t plan that right away and get married again this year. Or did he miss something?  
“Like three or four.”  
“Why’s that?” And why was he so anxious to marry her again? This didn’t sound like him.   
“Oh…” She smiled. “That would be more convenient.”  
“To whom? Do you want your brother around and he can’t come to Vegas earlier than in three or four years?”  
“I’m sure he could arrange something if we ask him and yes, I’d like to have him around. But he isn’t the reason why.”  
“Mind to tell me what the reason why is? Not that I’m in a hurry, but I’m curious.”  
“Not what, who.”  
“Who?”  
“Yes, who is the reason why.”  
“All right, who is the reason why?”  
“Well, Gilbert.” She got up only to sit down on his lap, her arms around his neck. “There’s something I’ve to tell you, something that couldn’t wait until after the walk.”  
“What I that?”  
“You’ll be a daddy in seven months.” She smiled.   
“What?”  
“I’m pregnant.” It felt strange to say these words out loud. Strange and good at the same time. She was eight weeks pregnant. They were about to have a baby together, become a real family, a new life.   
“Are you sure?”  
“The doctor is.” And she was it too. She felt it. Even if there wasn’t anything literally to feel, she knew. She knew it when she made the appointment. She knew something was different and she knew what and why. She was about to become a mother.   
“Wow.” Finally he got himself together, pulled her in his arms and kissed her long and deeply. Sara was pregnant. It wasn’t like they had planed something like that but now that it happened, it felt like it was the best thing that could ever happen to them. They would become even more a family. If he hadn’t already made the decision to stay home now he had made it. 

“Another visit in my office, are you all right or is there anything I can do for you?” Jules hugged Sara. She was surprised to see her sister in her office again. The fact that Sara came in after the last patient left told Jules this was more than a stop by.   
“Do you have plans for dinner?”  
“Actually I do, yes.”  
“Did a smug blonde witch beat me?”  
“No, my lovely girlfriend did. If you behave yourself you are allowed to join us.”  
“I prefer not to join you on your date.”  
Jules’ cell phone rang. “Give me a second.” She took the phone. “Hey.”  
The way Jules said ‘hey’ she knew it was Sofia, who called her.   
“I’ve got my big sis here, do you mind if I take her with me to your place? We bring the food with us…all right, see you later.” Jules closed her cell phone. “We’re good to go, come on.”  
“I said…”  
“I heard what you said and I plan to ignore that.”  
“I don’t want to…”  
Jules pulled Sara in her arms. “Please.”  
“You should have your date and we can talk later.”  
“It’s dinner.”  
“With your girlfriend.”  
“When you and Grissom have dinner, you had me over too.”  
“That’s something different.”  
“Because you’re married or because Sofia and me are a same sex couple?”  
“That’s ridiculous.”  
“So don’t act ridiculous and join me.”  
“Okay.”  
“Thanks.” Jules kissed her cheek. “You’re both very important to me.” She whispered. “If you act like I do something wrong by being with her, treat her like she’s dirt, you hurt me. She isn’t a bad person she’s in love with me and I’m in love with her. Do you think you can accept that one day?”  
“I do…I do accept that already…I’m sorry…”  
“It’s all right.” Jules took Sara’s hand.   
“I’m a pain in the ass sometimes.”  
“You are my sister…and I drive.”  
“No, I’ll drive but you won’t drink any tequila.” Sara grinned.   
“I should have never told you.”  
“Hey, there was evidence, I’m a CSI I had found it out anyway.”  
“Yeah, sure.”   
“Never impeach the credibility of your big sister. It’s a sister law.”  
“Of course.” Jules got on Sara’s passenger’s seat. If she got a ride now, Sofia had to take her to the office in the morning – not that Jules minded that.   
When they arrived at Sofia’s place Jules unlocked the door.  
“She has her own key.”  
“Yes I do. Like Sofia has a key to my apartment. Just like you do.”  
“Remind me that I’ll call in advance before I visit you, I don’t want to find the two of you in bed.”  
“We usually don’t have sex in bed, that’s too conventional we prefer to try each place of the apartment, including the railing of the balcony.”  
“I don’t want to hear things like that.”  
“Then don’t make stupid suggestions. Pretty easy.”  
“What’s easy?” Sofia came out of the kitchen, a tea towel in her hands.   
“Hey Babe, I told Sara about our sex we have on every single place in our apartments, including the railing of the balcony.”  
“Did you have that sex with me?”  
“I think…maybe I had tequila again.” Jules kissed Sofia and pulled Sara in her arms too. The two most important people for her in Las Vegas. “You know, my sister promised me to be nice to you.”  
“That’s nice. I made you some veggie burger, figured you don’t want to have a hamburger with us.”  
“Thanks…hey, there’s a little gentleman.” Sara got down on her knees when she saw Justice. The kitten looked to them from under the sofa. “Come here, cutie.”  
“Good luck with that.” Sofia smiled. “I get our dinner. Jules, do you get us something to drink?”  
“Sure. Sara took me here, if you take me to work tomorrow morning I don’t need a lift back today.”  
“If you’re fine with half past seven.”  
“Perfect. I need to do some paperwork anyway. Sara, what would you like to drink?”  
“Some juice.”  
“Okay.” Jules got them two beers and a juice while Sofia built three burgers and balanced them on a big plate to her balcony.   
“Dinner time.”  
“What about Justice?”  
“He had dinner already.”  
“Enough?”  
“Yes Sara.” Sofia laughed. “You don’t have to worry about him, he’s okay.”  
“Everybody worries about your little housemate.” Jules sat down and took her hamburger.   
“He’s really cute. Can I take him with me?”  
“No.”  
“Come on, you have my sister, you can share your kitten.”  
“No.”  
“It’s not like you can make the decision where I’ll be, Sara.”  
“You’re the little one, you have to listen.”  
“Not in reality.”  
“Don’t fight with me.” Sara bit in her burger. “Wow, that’s good. I didn’t know you can cook, Sofia.”  
“I’ve a lot of hidden talents. There was no reason to cook before Jules entered my life. I was fine with delivery and Justice is happy with his food.”  
“Not that happy.” Jules had a piece of meat in her hands and Justice came closer and closer.   
“You’re blackmailing him!”  
“I offer him a reason to come to me.”  
“Blackmailing.”  
“You’re only jealous that isn’t interested in your tofu.”  
“You cheat.”  
“Not true.”  
“Than put it away. As soon as you don’t offer him any meat he won’t be interested in you anymore.”  
“That’s a lie.” Jules ate the meat. “Come here, Justice, you know me. You know, I’m your friend. Come here, baby.”  
Justice eyed Jules and didn’t walk.   
“He doesn’t trust you.”  
“He will one day.”   
“She is allowed to get closer to him, could pet him.” Sofia smiled. She liked the fact that her kitten got used to Jules and didn’t hide anymore. Two days ago he even stayed on the sofa with her. Okay, Sofia had to sit in between them but he stayed.  
“One day our baby will love me too. I won’t give up, won’t stop until he jumps on my lap and sleeps there.”  
“You’ll spend a lot of time here – not that I mind.” Sofia grinned.   
“I’ll take my sister with me.”  
“No problem, I like her.”  
Sara eyed Sofia.   
“What?”  
“Nothing.”  
“That look.”  
“What look?”  
“Suspicion.”  
“Not true.”  
“Very true. One day, you’ll trust her and like me, Sara. Just like Justice will trust and like Jules.”  
“If I didn’t like you I weren’t here.”  
“Right, you came to my office what do you want to tell me?” Jules asked. She forgot Sara came to see her for a reason.   
“What makes you think I want to tell you something?”  
“I’m a therapist, I can tell those things.”  
“Why couldn’t I get a sister with a real job?” Sara rolled her eyes.   
“She’s a doctor.”  
“My husband is a doctor too. I don’t need a second doctor in my family, I need an aunt for my baby with a real job.”  
“Aunt?” Jules stared at Sara.   
“Baby?” Sofia almost let her burger fall down.   
A big smile appeared on Sara’s face. “Yes, I’m pregnant that’s make you an aunt.”  
“Are you serious?”  
“Yes.”  
“Wow!” Jules got up and hugged Sara. “That’s great. You’ll have a real family.”  
“I have a real family, I’ll have a bigger family and you’ll have something to do when I want a night alone with my husband. You better get a cot in your apartment, babysitter.”  
“Looks like.”   
“I hope it will come after Grissom.” Sofia blinked at Sara and hugged her. “Well, not with the hair color but the rest.”  
“You make her smug I’ll kick your ass.”  
“Deal. Want another juice for you and the baby?”  
“Yes, please.”  
“You’ll be a mom.” Jules sat back on her chair. “I don’t know what to say.”  
“After you promised to babysit you said the most important thing already.”  
“I love babies and I…” Jules starred at her lap. She hadn’t realized that Justice came closer and with one jump he was on her lap. “…I’ve a kitten on my lap.”  
“Yes and he looks at you like he’s laughing at you.” Sofia grinned. So Justice had made the decision Jules wasn’t a threat anymore. And with her sitting next to Sara he wasn’t that scared of her neither.   
“You’re not, you’re happy to be here with me, aren’t you? Am I not lucky to have you, Sara and Sofia with me? And the baby. I think that makes me very lucky.”  
Sara smiled. She knew Jules would be happy about the news. And with a husband like Gil, who was just as happy as she was, a half-sister like Jules who was very close to her. A brother who had after all of those years apart not forget her, a friend like Sofia, who didn’t mind when she teased her. Two dogs and a kitten, who showed her it was worth to trust people sometimes, the baby was the topping on her life. A life, that seemed to become better and better day by day.


End file.
